


Legacy: Enduring

by orphan_account



Series: Legacy [5]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Anger, Angst, Betrayal, Character Death, F/M, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Family Reunions, Fluff, Grief/Mourning, Half-Siblings, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Character Death, Murder Mystery, Reunions, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Doubt, Self-Esteem Issues, Sibling Bonding, Whump, loss of sibling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-25 00:48:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 47,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22007221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Seasons have passed since Rainstone rejoined her daughter in the Clans. Peace has reigned, but now mysterious murders have raised tensions among the Clans to a boiling point. In the background of this chaos, one cat is working hard to catch the killer. But what will happen when a mysterious, and familiar looking, stranger suddenly appears, wanting to join the Clans?
Relationships: Fallstripe & Flint, Fallstripe & Siblings, Fallstripe/Thorn, Rainstone/Needlepine (mentioned), Scorch/Boulderstar
Series: Legacy [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1525118
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

"Pshh! Wake up!" a faint hiss cut through the snores and unison breathing of more than a dozen cats. Near the back of a pitch-black den a young warrior raised her head, hazel eyes gleaming through the gloom, blinking as she looked at the entrance where two silhouettes stood, illuminated by star and moonlight.

 _Time for work._ The she-cat thought, rising to her paws and skirting the edge of the sleeping warriors so as not to wake them as she exited the den. Outside the den she greeted the two warriors who had summoned her with a respectful bow.

"I wish I could have called you out of your den for a happier reason, but I'm afraid that isn't the case," one of the cats mewed tersely. The cat was Boulderstar, leader of ThunderClan, whose blue eyes were cold and hard like shards of stone and whose gray pelt shone white under the gleam of Silverpelt.

"We'll explain on the way, though I assume you can guess what this is about," the second cat, Coalspark, who was deputy of ThunderClan, mewed, turning on his tail and leading the way across the clearing and out into the forest.

The guard was not at his post as they passed through the entrance, and she assumed that Coalspark had ordered that the camps boundary be patrolled so that they could leave without notice. The three cats slipped into the silent forest unseen and unheard.

Cold air filled her lungs as she walked behind the two toms, keeping her paw steps light and undistinguishable from the faint rustling of wind through the thinning trees. Fallen leaves, crisp with frost, crunched softly under the paws of the cats in front of her, but she made no sound, her slight frame and dark pelt making her appear to be nothing more than a moving shadow, evading the pools of moonlight that filled the cracks between the tree cover.

She had to go through the trouble, this was why she was chosen for this mission and even though she knew what would lie ahead of her, her heart was calm, and her eyes remained steadily fixed on the back of Coalspark's head. The back of her father's head.

Fallstripe was not anything unusual. A young warrior, one out of five kits, of which four were still living. A quiet cat who enjoyed being with her family and friends, hunting in the forest and was protective and loyal to her Clan.

She was undoubtedly the runt of the litter, but that had not stopped her from being a fine warrior. True, her black pelt, faint dark gray tabby stripes, and hazel eyes, coupled with her short fur, scrawny frame, and slender legs made her disappear in the crowd and even her faint scent was usually covered by the scents of others, made her presence unnoticeable and uninteresting. But that was exactly what made her so suitable to be a spy.

It was her most protected secret, she was a spy to be used against both inside and outside the Clan. No one knew except for her father—who had recommended her for the position, explaining to her it was the best way she could serve the Clan—and the leader, whom she admired more than anyone else.

This was her job along with normal warrior duties, and the current mission was… well, now her father was talking. "This is the third time in just our own Clan," he was growling with fierce ire, glaring over her shoulder, not exactly at her but at something that could not yet be seen.

"And counting ShadowClan and WindClan, this is the seventh reported incident," Boulderstar mewed quietly, glancing back at her with a veiled look in his eye. Fallstripe knew what that meant, and she raised her head, meeting his gaze and giving him a nod. The leader was growing vexed by these occurrences and he was not going to tolerate for much longer.

"It has been three moons since the first time this happened, and you still have no leads?" Coalspark looked back at her sternly and she shrunk back deeper into the cover of the night, the first feelings of anxiety rising.

"I'm sorry, I have not found any solid clues yet. It would have been easier if I had been able to examine the ShadowClan and WindClan accidents," she added with a hint of discontent, which she immediately covered up. Betraying her unease would not be good and she wrapped her tail around her leg, focusing on moving even more quietly than before.

"We're almost there now. Needlepine told us that she had been out of the elders' den for a while and this is what we found," Coalspark mewed, leading her off the trail and past a thick wall of ferns. Fallstripe stifled her sneeze as the ferns tickled her nose, blinking rapidly and wrinkling her nose.

Coalspark and Boulderstar had stopped ahead of her and she padded to Coalspark's side, looking around the tall grass that was littered with fallen leaves. Laying in a pool of moonlight, with her dappled fur slicked down to her sides, eyes closed, and legs folded elegantly beneath her, Leopardspot lay as peaceful as if she had been sleeping. But the strong scent of lavender and rosemary betrayed the idea, the sharp-tongued elder who was always giving an objurgation to a careless apprentice was no longer with this world. _May StarClan light your path._

"This is closer to the camp than the other times," Fallstripe mewed, turning her mind from grief to work, taking a deep scent of the clearing. As she'd expected, the cloying rosemary and lavender had washed out all other scents and aside from the natural ThunderClan scent that Leopardspot still carried, there was nothing but the usual forest scents.

Fallstripe sighed, this mission was not getting any easier. For three moons now, mysterious murders had plagued the Clans of Shadow, Wind, and Thunder. Of course, each Clan suspected each other, and although there was not enough solid proof to increment any Clan, if these murders continued, they would have to go to war and with leaf-bare on the way, that could be disastrous.

But the murders were so strange and perplexing, seeming to be without reason and carried out in an absurd manner. Each time the victim was discovered in the same way as Leopardspot now was. Their fur unruffled, their legs folded neatly, and the traditional herbs used on fallen Clan cats during vigil already applied.

It was the use of these traditional herbs that made most cats assume that the perpetrator had to be a Clan cat and not a rogue, however, Fallstripe knew it wasn't impossible that a rogue had somehow learned this information about Clan cats and was using it. But, there was no proof because the murderer left no trace of him or herself.

The victim was never injured in any way, looking as if they had died naturally. Except that the way they were found almost guaranteed some cat was purposefully killing cats. Fallstripe shut these thoughts out as she examined Leopardspot, looking over her fur for some hint, some clue to use. There was no scent, no bit of fur caught in her claws, no sign of a struggle of a fight.

 _But wait…_ Leopardspot's fur was damp, not soaked, but too damp to have been caused by the dew which had not yet fallen and would have turned to frost in these cool temperatures. Looking around the clearing, Fallstripe could find a faint trail of bent grass blades.

"This isn't where she died," she mewed, retracing the trail, more excited than she had been for the past moon. This was the best clue she'd been able to find, the last two deaths had not left any sign of the cause of death at all, but if she could find the place where the murder happened, there might be another clue to follow.

With the leader and deputy following her through the dark forest, Fallstripe pricked her ears as she heard the running of water and stopped by a small spring that formed a pool, surrounded by mossy trees and rocks. This was where the Clan cats often gathered fresh moss for the nests or for the patients of the medicine-cats. Plus, it was located near the dirtplace, which is where Leopardspot had supposedly gone when she disappeared.

Fallstripe could smell Leopardspot, but that annoying scent of lavender and rosemary covered any other cat scent that was there. _So, the murderer puts the scent on their fur first, and then on the victim, to mark them?_

But she found what she had been hoping for, a sign of a struggle. It was nothing more than a couple muddy pawprints and some ripped up moss, but it was enough for Fallstripe to see what happened. "Leopardspot came around here to get a drink after going to the dirtplace, which is why the guard didn't notice her leaving camp," Fallstripe mewed, circling around the pool, standing where she imagined Leopardspot had stood.

"Then the murderer came up and jumped on her from behind. The moss was wet and slippery, and they fell into the pool, where Leopardspot was drowned." Fallstripe mewed heavily, ignoring the sinking feeling in her stomach as she imagined the old elder being preyed upon, stalked and hunted and finally, killed.

"Then the murderer dragged her to where we found her, and prepared her like that to be found," she finished with a sigh. It was a nice change to be able to figure out how the murder happened, but this had not produced any good clues. Circling the clearing, she realized with chagrin that the scent seemed to appear here directly and could only be followed to where Leopardspot lay. It appeared and disappeared without a trace.

"How did they get so close to camp without being noticed, and then get away without a trace? It's not possible," Coalspark growled impatiently, sniffing the bases of trees, looking for a sign that the escape had been through the trees.

Fallstripe shook her head and slumped down on the ground. Dawn was approaching, and the three cats looked at each other with hidden glances, Leopardspot's corpse between them, since Boulderstar had carried the elder back with them. "Fallstripe, sweep the area, look for any sign of the murderer. We'll take Leopardspot back to camp for vigil and explain this to the Clan. Be back by sun-high with some prey," Boulderstar decided at last, taking Leopardspot's body onto his back again.

"Fallstripe, be careful," Coalspark ordered and she dipped her head, knowing that it was his awkward way of showing fatherly affection. She stood and watched them take Leopardspot away, closing her eyes for a moment as the first strains of birdsong echoed through the forest.

 _StarClan, may Leopardspot rest peacefully with you and may you protect the Clan from this murderer. I fervently ask that you help us find this villain before any more cats are sent to join you._ Opening her eyes, she raised her gaze to the graying sky overhead which was turning pink in the eastern corner of the sky, the stars fading fast as the sun crept up from slumber.

Shaking off her sleepiness, Fallstripe assumed her task and investigated all the area that enclosed the crime scene, and without much luck, came to a stop as the sun neared the tops of the trees. "Nothing again," she sighed, sitting down on bare patch of dirt, licking her sore and dirty paws. The only explanation she could find was that the cat had somehow masked his trail, but with such a strong scent of lavender and rosemary, was that even possible? Maybe they went back to the pool and soaked themselves, after all, scent usually washed off in water. But then how did he get there?

 _I hope I can figure this out before it happens again, father will be mad if I can't._ She had solved several mysteries in the past using her spying and observational skills, but none had involved death and she felt the weight of this secret mission weighing heavily on her chest.

With a sudden thought, she jumped to her paws and raced away toward the edge of their border where ShadowClan, ThunderClan, and rogue met. This was another secret of hers, one that she kept to herself.

It had happened after the first murder, the death of a senior warrior named Moonfrost. Fallstripe had been sent to investigate privately, and in desperation gone scouting in rogue territory, at the time convinced that it had to be a rogue who was using Clan traditions to commit murder and deflect suspicion. She now recognized that it had been her way of denying that the murder could have been caused by a Clan cat, which was a possibility she now knew had to be given careful consideration.

But during her scouting missions which she carried out for nearly a moon, she had come across something which she knew she could never tell another soul.

She had at first attacked him, but then after talking and learning more about him, she had changed her mind. He had even been helping her, telling her all he knew about the surrounding rogues and keeping an eye on their movements while meeting up with her once every three days to report. This was that third day, and she was sure he would already be near the meeting place even though they usually met at twilight.

It was easy to get him to cooperate with her, he seemed to enjoy it. She hadn't realized it at first, but she noticed later how accommodating and earnest he was in his helpfulness. He was always excited and ready to work, and she couldn't help but wonder why, but his help made her job infinitely easier, so she played along for now.

Dashing across the border without hesitation, she went a little further in until she came to a small grassy clearing among the trees. The green glade shone gold in the sunlight and Fallstripe stretched her tired muscles, letting the warm sunshine soak into her dark fur as she purred in contentment, completely pushing Leopardspot's untimely death from her mind as she flopped onto her side on the sweet, green grass and rolled around, scratching and warming herself in the grass that was softer than any grass.

"Fallstripe, you're early," a warm voice purred, and her nose twitched as the scent of freshly caught mouse washed over her and sent her belly grumbling.

"Thorn," Fallstripe murmured, opening her hazel eyes to look up at the handsome golden tom. She didn't deny he was handsome, his thick golden fur was as warm as the sun's brilliant rays and his white chest was as pure as freshly fallen snow. His muscles were as developed as any Clan cat's and his blue eyes had the sharpness of a hawk's and the tenderness of a soft blue sky.

She pondered for the millionth time what made him want to help her, what made him work for her with no other compensation but meeting with her and no other incentive other than what only he could know. Falllstripe wasn't petty enough to think she was ugly, but she knew she was not especially pretty, no, she was average at best. _But whatever his reasons are, I hope they don't change anytime soon, after all, if I had to investigate rogue territory, this job would take up all my free time outside of normal warrior duties._

"Have you eaten yet today? You can have this if you want," Thorn mewed, giving her the mouse as she sat up. She gratefully took the mouse from his mouth, their whiskers brushing as she looked him in the eye with indifference. The warm glow she saw there didn't affect her, but she blinked gratefully and glanced down, feeling a little embarrassed to take food from a rogue.

"Let's share it, and then we can talk," she mewed, taking a bit of the mouse and waiting for him to take one. Thorn purred and bent down to take a bite of the mouse and she admired the firm muscles of his back that rippled under his well-kept coat. At moments like this she wished he'd been a ThunderClan cat, then she could have gotten closer to him.

They ate in silence, with only distant bird song and the rustle of leaves disturbing the comfortable silence. Falllstripe let out a sneeze as a gust of wind blew a whirlwind of leaves past them and then she stood up, having finished the meal.

"We lost another member today," she mewed as Thorn got to his paws as well, overshadowing her with his height as she led him along on a winding walk.

"I see," Thorn mewed sorrowfully, "I'm sorry, but I've been keeping a close watch on the border, I don't think any one has crossed the border from this side."

Fallstripe nodded, "I couldn't follow their scent at all, so they could have gotten in from anywhere. The real question is how they could have hidden their scent. Once we can figure out that trick, hunting them down is only a matter of time."

"I noticed that you keep using the words 'their' and 'them,' do you still think it's more than one cat?" Thorn asked, ducking down to avoid a dead branch that was sticking out of a bush.

"It's still a possibility that we can't deny. Without scents to go on, the number, gender, and whole identity of these cats are a mystery. I'm certain that only one cat is present at each murder, and the murders are so similar in style it is undeniable that they are linked. But whether it's the work of one cat or multiple cats working together is impossible to know at this point," Fallstripe sighed, a frown creeping over her face as she pondered about the murders again.

"And there was no sign of any cat crossing the border last night?" Fallstripe affirmed, to which Thorn nodded.

"I don't think a single creature crossed the border last night by paw, they would have had to fly," the golden tom mewed, looking up at a robin that flew from its perch at their approach.

Fallstripe grumbled, "This is no good. We're not getting anywhere, and I doubt that Leopardspot will be the last victim."

They were quiet for awhile and then Thorn spoke, "I know that we've been concentrating hard on catching the killer, but what if we're going at it from the wrong direction?"

Fallstripe looked at him in interest, "What do you mean?"

Thorn stopped and faced her, a thoughtful expression on his face had replaced the easy and carefree one he usually wore when he was with her. "Instead of trying to figure out _how_ the murderer is killing, why don't we figure out _why_."

Fallstripe stared at him incredulously, her job had always been to find out how things were being done. It was usually up to her father or leader to determine why, it wasn't part of her job to understand why cats committed such acts, and to her, she couldn't comprehend it, so it was impossible to figure out. But if they could find out why… they could predict the murders and figure out a list of suspects.

But now, as Thorn poised her with his idea, she took in the possibilities understanding the why would allow. "If we could figure out why the killings are being committed…" she mewed, her hazel eyes wide as she looked up at Thorn in amazement.

Thorn purred, his sweet, caring look taking over his face again, "Then we could predict who the targets are and from there, who the likely killer is."

"Thorn, that's brilliant!" Fallstripe exclaimed in excitement, her thoughts already working hard at figuring out this new problem. She touched his nose with hers in thanks and she tried to ignore the excited beating of her hearts as she saw a bright flash of energy cross his eyes. "I'll see in three days! Let's keep working hard!" she called as she raced away from him, leaving him all alone beneath a maple tree. A fresh vigor to tackle this job flowed through her and she raced through the forest as if there were wings on her paws, the forest a brown-green-gold blur around her.

Coming to a halt outside of camp, she calmed her beating heart and panting breath. Giving her fur a few licks she recalled that she was supposed to return with prey, to give a cover story for her absence. Sniffing around the bushes, she wandered a little way from camp to give herself more of a chance for finding prey.

"Hey, Fallstripe!" the black tabby she-cat looked up as her name was called, and recognizing her Clan-mates, hopped back to the main path.

There she met four of her Clan-mates, all ladled with prey. "What are you doing out here all alone?" an elegant white she-cat scolded her, dropping her prey on the path and greeting her with a worried look in her bright green eyes. "Didn't you hear about Leopardspot?"

Fallstripe dipped her head, "I'm sorry, but I was staying close to camp." She guessed that after Leopardspot's death, Boulderstar had decided that no cat should go leave the camp alone.

"Leopardspot wasn't far from camp either, now come on, help me carry this back," the white she-cat, her sister, mewed, angling to the prey she had dropped.

Fallstripe nodded and greeted the other three cats with a sheepish look as she helped Ivysong pick up her prey, and entered the camp following in the footsteps of the cats in front of her and ladled with prey she hadn't caught.

In the clearing Fallstripe's eyes were immediately drawn to Leopardspot, her body as perfectly arranged for the vigil as when she'd first seen her that morning. Cats were mourning instead of sharing tongues and a heavy, solemn atmosphere kept even the kits in the nursery silent.

But she noticed that while every cat was mourning, there was no chief mourner, no cat to sit at Leopardspot's head. _Of course… she never took a mate or had kits, and the rest of her close kin died when the Clans were taken over by the tyrants._

Fallstripe's felt pity in her heart for the cranky elder and sobered her own mood as she quietly laid the prey she carried on the fresh-kill pile and joined the murmuring group of warriors by the warriors' den.

Ivysong had also went there, and Fallstripe sat next to her pretty sister on the edge of the group as they listened to the older warriors talk. "This is the third time in the past two moons," Smokeclaw—a dark gray tom with hard blue eyes who was also a son of Boulderstar—was speaking to the warriors.

"It has to be ShadowClan, right? They always happen at night," Sagelight was now mewing, the amber-eyed bridled queen's whiskers twitched in fury.

"And they're being very sneaky about it, Coalspark said there wasn't a trace of scent or pawprints or fur," Sootfur, a warrior and Fallstripe's former mentor, joined in.

"Which means we can't even bring evidence against them at a gathering," Gorsewhisker, the most senior warrior of the group, growled. His brown eyes were dark and festering, as if it wouldn't take much to push the senior warrior into a rage. _He and Leopardspot were good friends…_

Ivysong leaned over to her and whispered, "But why would Leopardspot even be a target? She was an elder, it's not like killing her would hurt the Clan. And the complete disregard for the warrior code! It had to be a rogue!"

Fallstripe shook her head, "I think the phycological impact is enough damage to make it worth it for another Clan. But, I don't know why they would break the warrior code… it must be for a serious reason." Fallstripe pondered what that reason could be.

"You know," Fallstripe looked up as their brother and littermate Duskleap turned toward them, "All the cats that have been killed so far have been senior warriors or elders."

Fallstripe pricked her ears, "That's true. Moonfrost and Fireclaw were both some of our most senior warriors, and then Leopardspot had only just become an elder."

The three littermates gave each other a perplexed look, "Weren't the cats killed in ShadowClan and WindClan senior warriors as well?" Smokeclaw had apparently heard them and joined in their conversation with a gleam of interest in his unchangeable blue eyes.

Fallstripe and Ivysong exchanged a glance before nodding shyly in front of one of the most respected ThunderClan warriors. "That's true," a new anxious wave of murmur swept over the cats while also a breath of relief escaped some of the younger warriors.

 _But what could the reason be for targeting the senior members of the Clan?_ Fallstripe's attention shifted inward as she considered carefully what this could mean. The only thing the victims had in common was that they were of an older generation, and the murders happened at night without clear signs of a struggle. _Is some cat trying to eliminate the senior members? But why? I would say personal grievance, but from three different Clans? And why not RiverClan? Or are they just not telling us so that they can seem stronger than the other three Clans… Or are they behind it?_

But Fallstripe shook her head at that, there was no way that a fat, lumbering, smelly RiverClan cat could possibly sneak into the heart of ThunderClan territory and disappear without a trace.

"Hey, Fallstripe," the black she-cat started as Ivysong bumped her shoulder and broke her out of her thoughts, "Pay attention, Sootfall is signaling for you."

Fallstripe noticed the senior black she-cat signaling and hurriedly got to her paws and with a dip of her head to excuse herself from the group and trotted over to her grandmother who was sitting outside the elders' den with Needlepine. "Fallstripe," Sootfall greeted the daughter of her daughter with a warm purr, although her hazel eyes were cloudy with grief.

"I haven't seen you all day, how are you doing?" the black she-cat asked her, turning toward her with a concerned look on her face.

Fallstripe purred reassuringly, "I'm fine, I was just out hunting. I was shocked to hear about Leopardspot, though," she mewed, lowering her voice in a respectively somber voice.

Sootfall nodded, dark eyes glistening. "Leopardspot was never a cat I got along with well, she never got over my rogue roots. But she was a good and loyal warrior and served the Clan well, she didn't deserve an end like that."

Needlepine grunted his agreement, "Neither did Moonfrost or Fireclaw," he murmured, green eyes misty as he looked up at the blue sky.

Fallstripe felt a twinge of pity for the old cat. He had seemed to grow older ten times as fast since his mate, Rainstone passed away. And each death since then seemed to weigh on him heavily, as he seemed to grieve the passing of every life with more feeling than the last.

Fallstripe shared a glance with Sootfall, Rainstone had also been a very important cat to them both. Not only had Rainstone been one of the cats to help deliver her littermates and herself, but Rainstone had also cared and played and helped raise them, so that she had seemed like family growing up. When she had died in a bout of green-cough early new-leaf, they had been devastated, but the old she-cat had been mourned the most by Needlepine, and only the company of his blind daughter, Scorch, eased the grief.

"Fallstripe, I just want you to make sure you take extra care right now," Sootfall mewed caringly, laying her black tail on Fallstripe's dark shoulder.

She purred reassuringly, trying not to feel stung, "I'll be careful, I don't plan on dying anytime soon." _I have to catch this cat quick, or else the job will be taken off my paws._

"That's good to hear," Fallstripe straightened in surprise as Coalspark approached her. He dipped his head respectively to the two older cats and addressed the three of them. "We will hold vigil from sunset to dawn tonight, make sure you're prepared to pay your final respects," the deputy mewed

Needlepine nodded and then got to his paws, disappearing back into the elders' den. _Needlepine always had a strange aversion to Coalspark…_ Banishing the thought from her mind, she noticed that Coalspark was giving her a signal that they were to talk in private.

Fallstripe gave Sootfall a friendly goodbye and followed her father to an empty corner of the camp. She waited nervously as he stopped with his back to her, wondering what he wanted to tell her. _Is this it? Have they decided that I can't handle this anymore?_ It felt like her heart was going to jump out of her chest and she was almost shocked at how badly she wanted to keep this job. Her position as spy, scout, and private investigator were her own special jobs that were the one thing that made her special to the Clan, even if barely any cat knew about it.

"You have one moon," Coalspark mewed quietly, still not looking at her so that she had to guess his emotions from his silver striped back. "Boulderstar is anxious, the Clan is afraid. Find the culprit in one moon and save the Clan, or else we will have no choice but to mobilize the whole Clan and risk being caught unprepared for leaf-bare and possibly starting wars with the other Clans."

Fallstripe was sure he could hear her heart beating and her ears felt hot with shame, but a fresh breath of hope filled her soul. "I will find the murderer. I swear to StarClan that I will protect my Clan," she whispered, hoping that her father could see how important this was to her. _If you turn around, I know you'll see it in my eyes._

Coalspark nodded and added without facing her, "Then I pray you are successful. Also, the dawn patrol reported a rogue scent by the WindClan border. I haven't sent another patrol to investigate it yet, but I will soon."

Fallstripe's ears pricked, "I understand, I'll go right away," she mewed, dipping her head and turning on her paws. She turned and headed for the entrance, nearly bumping into a gray tom on her way out.

"I'm sorry, Rainfall," Fallstripe mewed, stepping back from the blue-gray tom's chest, her nose wrinkling at the scent of lavender and rosemary.

"No problem," the medicine-cat grumbled, "I was just getting some more herbs for tonight's vigil, though I wish I didn't have to collect these so often lately," he mewed, readjusting his grip on the traditional burial herbs.

Fallstripe nodded her agreement in silent sympathy, she imagined preparing your dead Clan-mates for burial was the least pleasant medicine-cat duty. "I hope we can put an end to these murders soon," she murmured quietly.

"I think all the Clan wishes that," Rainfall sighed, "But be careful if you're going out, I think Boulderstar said that no one can go out alone, so you might want to find a buddy."

Fallstripe shook her head and sidestepped around him, "I'm not going far, and I'll be careful, everyone else is resting for the vigil tonight and I don't want to bother them." _And this is my mission, not theirs._

With a final nod goodbye, she finally made it outside of the camp and immediately plunged off the main trail, intent on getting to the WindClan border and finding the scent without being delayed again. _I wouldn't have suspected the WindClan border, given where the crime was committed, but this could be our first solid clue! I have one moon left to prove myself, one moon to save the lives of my Clan-mates, I can't fail!_

She reached the WindClan border in record time, and began sniffing along the border, trying to ignore the rabbit and sheep tainted WindClan scent. The leaves had really thinned out on the WindClan border, with most of the trees already half-bare, their leaves torn from their branches by the wind that battered them constantly from the moor.

Unfortunately, the wind was strong, and she could barely find the scent of the dawn patrol, and she followed it anxiously, worried that the one lead they had found was already blown away. Following the dawn patrol's scent, she left the forest and followed the stream along the path that led to the moonpool, stopping at the edge of ThunderClan territory.

She pinned her ears back, _that can't be it… I'll look a little further._ Crossing over the ThunderClan border, she continued to follow the moonpool trail, feeling a slight hint of worry that she was doing something sacrilegious by using the moonpool trail without being a leader or medicine-cat, or even accompanying one.

She searched desperately for any sign of a stranger's scent, stopping just short of the rocky part of the moonpool path, knowing that if she hadn't found a scent at this point she probably wasn't going to. With a sigh she turned and looked down the hill she had climbed, taking a moment to relish the cool wind that buffered her hot face and catching her breath as she sat down and took in the view.

The lake was little more than a tiny pool in the distance, coruscate and pale blue. The large forest with its towering trees no longer seemed so impressive from a distance but was little more than a tiny swatch of shadow on the landscape while WindClan's barren moors rose and dipped like small waves to the lake's shore and the gathering island was a speck of earth on the lake's surface.

 _It seems so small… but the murderer is probably hiding somewhere in this landscape… I must find him._ Then she thought of Thorn, he was in that landscape too, and she remembered what he'd said, _why are these cats being murdered?_

She pondered and thought but couldn't comprehend for what reason either a clan cat or a rogue would target senior warriors of ThunderClan, ShadowClan, and WindClan. _But there must be a reason, right?_ She closed her eyes and tried to imagine, a vendetta against the Clans? Senseless violence? Coincidence?

As the roar of the wind filled her ears, Fallstripe imagined she heard the soft tread of pawsteps and opened her eyes in time to see a familiar form leap down from the rocks behind her. The tom had dark gray fur and silver stripes, he was tall and strongly-built and looked exactly liker her father. Except that he had dark blue eyes, eyes she had seen before but not on Coalspark.

He carried a foreign scent and was holding a mouse in his jaws, his eyes were fixed on her in surprise and he dropped the mouse to face her, a serious look on his face. Fallstripe's heart was beating wildly in shock and fear as she jumped into a battle-ready stance, already noticing the hard muscles and scars that this familiar looking rogue carried.

"Are you a Clan cat?" the rogue asked, the hint of a growl in his voice.

Fallstripe fluffed up her fur, "Yes, and who are you?" she challenged, cursing the trace of fear she heard in her own voice.

The tom leaped toward her and she prepared to dodge, only to find that he had cornered her against the rocky mountain path, leaving her with no choice but to climb up, _I can't dodge fast enough!_

She turned to face the tom head on, knowing that in a battle of strength, her slight frame would easily be overpowered. The tom skidded to a stop not more than a mouse-length away and lashed his tail, before mewing in self-satisfaction, "My name is Flint, and I've been looking for the Clans."


	2. Chapter 2

"My name is Flint."

Fallstripe, with her tail against a wall of rock, stared at the rogue tom before her. His sooty gray fur was sliced by silver stripes, identical to her father's. But he had unusually large ears that were familiar but not from her father, and deep, dark blue eyes that stared into hers without blinking. Scars, barely visible, but clearly there nonetheless, marked his smooth coat and his muscles were as lean as any Clan-cat.

"What's your name?" the tom continued, tilting his head and there wasn't a note of hostility in his tone now.

Fallstripe lashed out with her claws, grazing the tom's nose and as he took a quick step back in surprise, she bolted past him, flying down the hill as swiftly as a swooping hawk. She would return to camp and alert them to a rogue, she would then lead a patrol back here to either capture or drive off this rogue.

Her breath came in short pants as her legs struggled to keep up with her speed as she ran down the hill. She swiveled her ears behind her and she felt a flash of fear as she heard another steady thrum of paw-steps.

 _He's chasing me? Why would a rogue chase me?_ She pushed herself faster, belly brushing the ground as her thin, dark legs swept like a shadow over the grass. She flew over the border and she slowed, listening to see if the tom would follow her into ThunderClan territory.

A spike of shock almost made her stumble as she heard his paw-steps not even falter in their chase but seemed to be gaining speed now that they were on more level ground. _What do I do? I can't lead him to camp, and I'm running out of breath._

Her eyes took in her surroundings, the passing green, brown, and orange undergrowth could provide her with cover, but she still couldn't fight him alone. _But I could slip away to camp and get help…_

Before she could put her plan in action the paw-steps behind her disappeared, and before she could turn her head to look behind her, a heavy weight crashed into her, so that she hit the ground and skidded on her side over the leaf-strewn floor, the weight that had hit her slipped off in the tumble, but before she could open her eyes she was pinned with her back to the ground by the tom who held her by her shoulders.

She glared up at him, letting out a ferocious snarl as best she could between pants. The tom looked confused as she growled and flicked his ears, big eyes frowning in puzzlement. "What's your name?

Fallstripe was dumbfounded as he repeated the question he had asked at the top of the Moonpool trail. She recovered herself and glared at him, "I don't have to answer a rogue, you're trespassing on ThunderClan territory!"

The cat blinked again, "This is ThunderClan territory?" he asked, stepping back and letting her get up. But she noticed he kept her carefully trapped against bramble bushes. She'd either have to run right past him or else risk getting cut up by thorns to escape.

"Didn't you smell the border?" Fallstripe looked at him contemptuously, he may be strong, but he was no warrior. "You were looking for the Clans, but you can't even recognize ThunderClan markings?" she scoffed, lowering her head and eyeing him. Who was this cat? Why was he here? Where did he come from? Why did he look like her father? But those dark, dark blue eyes… she knew those eyes, but from where? This was making her uneasy, as if she were going to learn something she wished she hadn't.

He was watching her closely. "I noticed the cat scent, I just didn't realize it was ThunderClan."

"Well I'm ThunderClan, didn't it smell like me? And besides, why are you looking for the Clans if you know nothing about them?" Fallstripe shot back. She had to keep him talking, until help arrived. As embarrassing as it was to be rescued from a rogue, she and every other cat knew fighting wasn't her specialty. She'd only ever participated in a few border scuffles, and she almost always ended up getting driven away by the enemy or else sent back to camp for reinforcements.

The cat looked at her without answering and she felt frustration and desperation growing in her, _maybe I can slip away through those brambles, or else make a break for it if I can catch him off his guard._

She and the tom engaged in a silent stare down for a few moments until the tom flicked an ear away, nose to the air as if he detected something. Fallstripe seized her chance, exploding from a standstill to a sprint, sweeping past the tom, so closely that their fur brushed.

"Hey, wait!" the tom called as she disappeared into the undergrowth. She could hear him clumsily pushing his way behind her, but luckily it seemed he wasn't used to thick forests and before long she'd left him behind in the silence of the forest.

Fallstripe immediately knew she had to return to camp and alert them to an intruder, then they could come back and drive him off. She was almost completely certain he wasn't behind the murders, he was too ignorant, and stupid.

The dark she-cat stopped and sat straight up as she caught a new whiff of scent. _Father!_ Her tail shot up at her good luck and nearly got stuck in an overhanging holly bush as she hurriedly went to meet her father, from the scent he was with two others—probably going to investigate the intruder's scent formerly.

Climbing over a stump of an old tree, she leaped down and skidded on the slick grass before forcing her way between two wilting fern bushes and reaching the main path. She had to go only a few steps before her father's tall figure became visible against the green and brown background.

"Father!" she called, hurrying to meet the patrol while trying to calm her pants and look calm.

"Fallstripe," Coalspark greeted her coolly, eyes sweeping over her disheveled pelt that had bits of grass, dirt, twigs, and leaves crushed into it.

Fallstripe looked at the other two cats on the patrol, as she had guessed from the scents, it was the queen Sagelight and the warrior Mallowpelt who was looking at her with nervous curiosity.

"Are you alright?" Sagelight mewed, stepping past Coalspark. She had been a queen when Fallstripe was a kit and had often protected her from the other kits when the games got too rough since she'd been the smallest and weakest. Although now it embarrassed Fallstripe to see such motherly softness from a cat notorious for her sharp skill and tongue.

"Er, yes, I'm alright. But I encountered a rogue on our territory and—"

"And you were unable to drive it off yourself?" Coalspark concluded, looking down at her with unreadable, narrowed eyes.

Fallstripe felt herself shrink in front of his gaze, "He's a strong opponent…" she trailed off as Coalspark's tail gave a single lash.

"I don't want excuses, just lead us to where he was," the deputy snapped and Sagelight gave him a glare while Mallowpelt took a step back from the group, to avoid getting involved.

Fallstripe dipped her head, ears tingling with embarrassment as she kept her gaze fixed stubbornly ahead while leading the group back to where she had left the tom. "You shouldn't be so hard on her! She's not that kind of warrior!" she could hear Sagelight hissing at Coalspark.

"Every warrior should be able to protect their Clan, regardless of their talents," was the deputy's grumbled response.

Fallstripe swiveled her ears forward, trying to ignore their back and forth conversation. She didn't want to be defended, she knew she wasn't the strongest warrior and she was okay with that, if she could serve her Clan as a spy, that would be enough for her. She just wished her father could see it was enough, after all, he was the one who first recommended her for these jobs and assigned her these missions.

"We're getting close," she whispered, starting to slink silently in the shadows as they got closer to where the tom was. But Coalspark marched past her boldly, not bothering to hide his presence as he pushed his way through the undergrowth with Mallowpelt and Sagelght following. Fallstripe fell to the rear, faltering behind the three powerful warriors ahead of her. Even Mallowpelt, who showed cowardly tendencies from time to time, had his gray fur fluffed up and claws unsheathed—ready for a fight.

The rogue was exactly where Fallstripe had left him. He was sitting with his tail curled over his paws with his head bowed into his chest and eyes closed, his back to the thorn barrier that he had trapped Fallstripe against, which now effectively trapped him. He didn't seem like he was planning on fighting or leaving.

Coalspark and the patrol approached him, and she could see Sagelight and Mallowpelt exchange a look of surprise, they clearly had seen the similarity between the rogue and their deputy. Especially face to face, only tiny differences could be seen, it was like looking at a reflection in water that was slightly distorted.

Only Coalspark himself didn't hesitate as he had the patrol fan out, surrounding the rogue. "You're on ThunderClan territory, rogue."

"That's exactly where I want to be," the rogue responded simply, eyes still closed but now he lifted his head, drinking in their scents. "So, you went to get your friends? You could have told me," the rogue mewed, opening his dark eyes and looking straight at Fallstripe.

She glanced sideways and saw Coalspark flinch, his green eyes wide and blank. "Where did you come from?" Coalspark demanded.

"Far away from here, probably further then you can imagine," the rogue mewed, getting to his paws and looking them all squarely. "My name is Flint, and I want to join your Clan." His announcement was met with stunned silence.

"Don't be so impudent, only Clan cats are members of the Clan. Outsiders aren't welcome," Sagelight hissed, seeming to have recovered from her surprise at his appearance.

Flint looked at the queen steadily, "I won't leave until I become a member of the Clan."

"Let's drive him off," Mallowpelt growled, looking to Coalspark for the signal.

Fallstripe looked to her father as well, confusion crashing upon her as she saw a whirl of emotions flickering in his usually cold and cool eyes. "Coalspark," Sagelight mewed, her tone warning, "This is nothing more than a rogue, you know what has to be done to protect the Clan."

"I don't want to hurt the Clan, I want to help it and join in," Flint mewed, taking a step toward Coalspark.

"And why is that?" the deputy asked, slightly recovering himself and refocusing his eyes on the rogue.

Flint didn't answer, but he took a step closer, looking imploringly at the deputy "I never imagined it would be so difficult to convince you, especially. But I am the son of two warriors, and my dream was to return to the Clans, and I will not give up on it."

At this silence fell over the four cats and Fallstripe looked at the rogue in confusion and despair. She felt like this cat was opening a forbidden topic and that nothing good would come from this. "Let's just drive him off," she whispered urgently to her father who had a fixed gaze on the rogue, a myriad of emotions still flashing in his green eyes.

"Who are your parents? If you claim to be the son of warriors, then you must tell us their names," Sagelight demanded, her eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she didn't look unconvinced that this rogue, Flint, had warrior parents. After all, his similarity to Coalspark was nearly proof enough to he shared blood within the Clan.

Fallstripe felt her spirit fall even further, _if he's related to my father somehow, then he must be related to me as well…_ "I cannot tell you their names, because I don't know their warrior names," Flint admitted, dipping his head in apology. "But please, allow me to join your Clan, or at least, stay with you all for a time."

Mallowpelt was shifting from paw to paw, glancing between Coalspark and Sagelight. Sagelight stood still, her eyes set hard on Coalspark, clearly waiting for him to make the final decision. Coalspark remained motionless, his lips curled back slightly as if he had a bitter taste in his mouth, and ears tilted forward, as if he were thinking terribly hard about this. Fallstripe's tail lashed from side to side and she dug her claws into the soft dirt beneath her paws, desperately anxious to hear what would happen.

_Oh StarClan, please, let's just drive him off and forget about him. We're in the middle of an investigation! We can't be taking in outsiders, even if they claim to be kin of ours. Besides, if he's related to the Clan but was born a rogue, what does that say about his parents? That they either abandoned the Clan or were driven off… And what will the other Clans think?_

The thought crossed her mind, but she wasn't terribly worried about other Clans. Their precarious peace would certainly be more unstable if it came out that they had taken in a rogue recently, but if this cat wasn't the murderer—and Fallstripe highly doubted he was—then any justification on the other Clan's part for inciting a fight over this would simply be an excuse for war.

Coalspark took a deep breath and every cat stared at him, waiting for his resolution. Fallstripe could feel her heart pounding uncomfortably in her chest and her ears twitched as she kneaded the ground in anticipation. "I cannot make the decision to allow you to join the Clan. However, I will allow you to meet with our leader and discuss it with him."

Flint's dark eyes lit up and his tail shot straight in the air, "Thank you, may I meet with him today?"

"No," Coalspark's cold answer came without hesitation and explanation. _Probably because of Leopardspot's vigil…_ "Tomorrow you will meet with Fallstripe—" he gestured with his tail toward her "—where you first met her today, and she will escort you to our leader and he will decide whether to allow you to join the Clan or not. That is all I can offer you."

Flint's eyes narrowed, and his tail twitched but he dipped his head in acceptance, "I will wait then," he mewed and then looked at Fallstripe, "I'll be there at sun-high, make sure you are too." Flint turned and started retracing his steps back toward the border. Fallstripe's fur rose along her spine, how dare he give her orders! The nerve! She didn't know what to think about all this, but she was sure she didn't like it one bit.

"Sagelight, Mallowpelt, follow him and make sure he leaves our territory," Coalspark barked the order and the two cats hurried the follow the rogue, leaving the father and daughter alone.

Fallstripe stared at the back of Coalsparl's head, she was sure her hazel eyes were fuming as her tail lashed behind her, stirring the leaves on the ground. "Let's return to camp and report to Boulderstar," Coalspark growled, facing her and looking down at her with his green eyes.

Fallstripe continued to face him mutinously for a moment before giving in and breaking eye contact. "Fine," she muttered, falling in behind him as he led her back towards camp.

"I expect you to continue honing your warriors' skills even as a warrior. Compared to your littermates your fighting leaves much to be desired," her father lectured.

Fallstripe stifled the growl in her throat, she had heard this a thousand times before. "But my tracking skills are better than theirs, and my hunting is some of the best in ThunderClan."

"Those skills won't save your life or the lives of your Clan-mates in a fight. This is a dangerous time, with rogues on the border and a murderer hiding somewhere. I want you to be prepared should you ever have to defend yourself or some cat else with your life," Coalspark answered back harshly and Fallstripe widened the distance between them, feeling her rebellious emotions waning into prickling guilt.

"Alright," she mewed, glancing sideways off the trail at the undergrowth that was dying back with the start of leaf-fall. "But after I catch this murderer, I only have one moon to do it."


	3. Chapter 3

The next day came bright and cool. The brisk wind that had be howling over the tree tops from the moors had subsided, leaving the forest crisp and with a little less tree-cover. Colorful leaves of red, gold, and orange were strewn across the ground where the undergrowth was dying back, brown and gnarled against the faded green grass.

The evening before, the whole Clan had been talking about the rumored meeting between Boulderstar and the rogue. Many had been whispering about the rogue, suspecting him to be the murderer and how it was madness that they were letting their leader meet with a dangerous loner without more than a few cats as guard. Even more had been whispering how this was a plan to catch and kill the murderer once and for all, which had lifted the spirits of the cats as they spent the night sitting vigil under the distant gleam of the stars.

Fallstripe had sat in vigil until midnight, when her littermates decided to return to the den she followed as well and slept soundly until dawn when Coalspark awoke her, ordering her to do a quick scout for the murderer before it was time to get ready for the meeting.

And now here she was, making her way out of Clan territory and toward the Moonpool, where she had first happened upon Flint. She was supposed to go alone to meet him, and then bring him back down to the border where Boulderstar waited with Coalspark and Scorch. There Boulderstar would decide what to do with the rogue.

At least, that's what was supposed to happen.

"Ivysong, what are you doing here?" Fallstripe hissed, glaring at her sister who slunk out of the bush reluctantly but faced her boldly, green eyes flaring.

"You were too suspicious last night, you didn't say more than two words after you and father returned with news of the rogue. I knew there was something you weren't telling us," her sister accused her, drawing up her full height and looking down at her. Even though there was hardly a mouse-length of difference between them, Ivysong filled the space with her brilliantly white and silver tabby pelt and Fallstripe squirmed under the intense green gaze that pinned her down, just like when they were kits.

"This is an important mission, I was ordered to keep quiet," Fallstripe defended herself, breaking eye contact and looking down at her paws. _Nothing's changed since we were kits, I'm going to end up admitting I was wrong for keeping secrets and then she'll come with me and I'll be in trouble with father._

"That's no reason for keeping secrets," Ivysong retorted, taking a step closer to her, so that her shadow blocked the sun from her eyes. Fallstripe looked up and met her sister's green gaze, it had softened and was friendly and welcoming.

"I'm sorry," the words came from her mouth before she could even think them, but she was rewarded with her sister's gentle purr and her warm fur pressed against her.

"I forgive you," Ivysong's lovely voice echoed in her ears and Fallstripe purred in response, trying to stifle the envy at how easily Ivysong succeeded in everything she did. Fallstripe didn't even think she had the right to call herself her sister's shadow, that was how magnanimous her sister was to her.

"Now let's go find that rogue together!" Ivysong mewed, jumping away from her and bounding a few steps up the trail, pausing to look over her shoulder and beckoning her to come.

 _She must have been spying on us since we left camp, that's the only way she could have known what we are doing._ Fallstripe thought, remembering what she'd told her father yesterday, _Ivysong was able to stay hidden from a leader, deputy, senior warrior and me even though her pelt sticks out so much. She probably would make a better spy than I do._

But, and she took a bounding leap after her sister, taking the lead as the self-created breeze whistled past her ears, _I'm the one they asked to be a spy, I'm the one they give these important tasks to, and in this I will not fail._

The two she-cats talked lightly as they made their way up the hill, Ivysong's good nature was infectious and Fallstripe found herself shedding her fears and worries as they reached the place where she had first met Flint. If their father would have seen them, they'd be getting a long lecture.

"Is he here?" Ivysong asked as Fallstripe opened her mouth to take in a breath of air.

"He's close," Fallstripe mewed, looking at her sister's glimmering eyes. She sat down on the short grass, "We can wait here."

Ivysong sat beside her, looking down the hill over the Clan territories with her. "Do you think he is the murderer?" her sister's quiet mew was the only betrayal of fear that Fallstripe had heard from her today.

She looked at her sister in surprise and Ivysong blinked quickly, turning her face away. "I don't think so," she mewed reassuringly, "From what I know from yesterday, he's too stupid to be the culprit."

"He could be acting," Ivysong defended herself, looking back at her with a perplexed expression. "But you've always been good at seeing through cats, so I guess I'll trust your judgement. But if he attacks us, I want you to run away as quickly as you can," Ivysong mewed in a rush.

Fallstripe stared at her in surprise and nodded slowly, "Is that why you came out here? To make sure I was okay?" she asked hesitantly, both hurt and touched that her sister still wanted to protect her.

"Don't worry, I only mean to join the Clan," before Ivysong could respond, a calm voice made them both jump to their paws and spin around, looking up at one of the boulders that lay on the path.

"You must be the rogue?" Ivysong asked, looking disconcerted at the toms remarkably familiar appearance and she looked at her for an answer to which Fallstripe responded with a shrug.

"He claims to have relations with ThunderClan warriors, but that's all we really know," Fallstripe whispered to her sister. To Flint she said, "Boulderstar is waiting at the border, we'll take you there."

The mysterious tom that so strongly resembled their father nodded and leaped down the boulder to land between them, only whiskers away and turned his gaze from one sister to the other, "I'm happy to have such good company," he purred and his dark eyes glimmered as they gave each other wary looks.

Ivysong spun on her paws, marching off with a pouting look on her face but with her head and silver-tipped tail high as Fallstripe scrambled after her, walking at her side with Flint following them a few paces behind.

"He's a little weird isn't he," Fallstripe mewed, seeing the bothered look on her sister's face.

Ivysong gave a quick glare over her shoulder, "He's got some nerve! We're not equals, he's at our mercy, and yet he acts like he's in charge. Not even announcing his arrival but sneaking up on us… if we did that to our mentors then we'd be crowfood," Ivysong ranted in a furious whisper, continuingly glaring over her shoulder at the rogue who padded along nonchalantly, eyes tracing the whimsical path of a butterfly a couple of cat lengths away.

"I know, I don't think he's going to be allowed to join the Clan with an attitude like that…" Fallstripe mewed, feeling the same uncomfortable feeling in her belly as yesterday. Every instinct she had told her to send this stranger away, but what could she do? She was just a warrior, the runt of her litter, and besides, she had bigger things to focus on right now. _I couldn't find any traces this morning either, I hope Thorn will have some news when I see him tomorrow._

"Even so… I think they'll let him into the Clan," Ivysong's growled admission made Fallstripe's tail droop.

"It's his appearance, isn't it?" Fallstripe asked, shooting another look over her shoulder, only to whip her face forward again as her eyes instantly met Flint's.

Ivysong game an almost imperceptible nod, "He is practically the spitting image of our father. His claim to be of Warrior relation is either an extremely convenient coincidence, or else it's true. Most cats will believe the latter, but whose son is he?" Ivysong gave her a look and Fallstripe shook her head.

"It doesn't have to be direct relation, maybe just a few generations back they shared the same parent…" Fallstripe offered, trying to avoid what they were both thinking. What all three of them were thinking, that they were more closely related then they wished.

"Is this ThunderClan land?" Flint asked, interrupting their unfinished conversation, padding up on Ivysong's other side and looking at them.

Fallstripe glared at him, "Do you smell the scent markers?" she asked. Flint tasted the air and shook his head. "Then why would you think we'd crossed the border?"

Flint shrugged, "There are trees here, and it wasn't long after we went under the trees that you said it was ThunderClan land."

Fallstripe looked around at the three trees that grew along the stream's bank, they were skinny trees, too thin for a cat to climb and less than half the height of a maple or oak tree. Their leaves had already turned bright orange and were falling off one by one into the stream to be carried away by the water. They were hardly trees, they appeared more as tree-like shrubs.

"We're almost to the border now," Ivysong mewed sternly, looking sharply at the rogue until he seemed to get the message and slipped back to his spot behind them.

They fell into an uncomfortable silence and Fallstripe felt her heart beating more heavily as they approached the border. A dark shadow was cast by the wall of trees and beneath the trees Fallstripe could see three cats sitting side by side, awaiting their arrival.

Quickening her pace so that she would meet them first, Fallstripe dipped her head first to Boulderstar, then her father and Scorch. "I've brought the rogue as you asked," she mewed quietly, awaiting what she knew would come next.

"And I see you brought along your sister too, I instructed you to go alone," Coalspark growled softly. It was that soft growl that made Fallstripe flinch, that meant he was angry, not just annoyed.

"I was nearly at the spot where I was supposed to meet the rogue when Ivysong joined me, I—"

"You were tracked by your own sister, you've been around her scent since the day you were born, and you still couldn't notice it?" Coalspark broke her off and Fallstripe dipped her head, unable to meet those cold green eyes.

"Calm down, Coalspark. There's no harm done," Scorch mewed lightly and Fallstripe glanced up at the small red and black she-cat's sightless green eyes. Scorch, the leader's mate, and mother to the medicine-cat and two of the best warriors of the Clan. She was blind but was the Clan's best counselor along with the elders. She kept to herself, but no cat could ignore her and Fallstripe both envied and pitied her.

"The rogue is here and the two of them are fine, Ivysong-" Boulderstar addressed the white and silver she-cat who stood up straight at the sound of her name. "You shouldn't have gone when you were not part of patrol and I'm sure you had other duties," the leader gave the young warrior a stern look, "but given the circumstances, so long as you agree to stay silent about this until something is announced to the Clan, I will not punish either you or Fallstripe."

Ivysong hurriedly agree and Fallstripe sighed in relief, lifting her head and stepping back to stand next to her sister, continuing to avoid her father's judgmental look. "So, you are Flint," Boulderstar mewed, looking curiously at the rogue who now finally seemed a bit intimidated and who nodded deeply to the leader.

"Ivysong, Fallstripe, you are dismissed, return to your regular duties," Coalspark barked. Fallstripe balked at this blatant insult, after all, she'd been involved with this rogue enough to want to know what his fate was. But the tone in her father's voice wasn't one to be argued with and under Scorch's sympathetic, unseeing gaze she and Ivysong slunk away.

"That was intense!" Ivysong mewed once they were out of earshot.

Fallstripe nodded, still miffed that they'd been dismissed. "Come on, don't be like that. We got to play an important part today and we got to meet the rogue before most of the Clan! They probably wanted less cats there so that they could get a better sense of the rogue without too many distracting eyes."

"You're right," Fallstripe mewed, watching Ivysong leap over a fallen long before scrambling over it herself far less gracefully.

"Hey, I've got a hunting patrol to go out on soon, race you back to camp?" Ivysong asked, looking at her with a glimmer in her bright eyes.

Fallstripe purred at the challenge, thinking again of how lucky she was to have a sister who tried so hard to cheer her up. "Okay," she mewed, "But I won't lose this time!" dashing off through the wrinkled undergrowth, Fallstripe twisted and turned her slim body through the twisting bushes and branches, feeling twigs run harmlessly over her short fur. She felt like she was swimming in a river of leaves and branches, and she expertly guided herself along the current, never stumbling or getting caught as she flew over the smooth grass.

Ivysong ran right behind her, huffing and puffing as she forced her way through the path that Fallstripe twisted through. Her lovely, long fur wasn't as suitable for this as Fallstripe's shorter fur, and twigs snapped off and got caught in her fur. Fallstripe purred, on a clear path, Ivysong was faster, but here where the forest around them created an obstacle course, Fallstripe held the lead.

"I win!" she crowed, coming to a stop to catch her breath outside of camp and turning to watch her sister flop on her side, eyes closed as she slowed her heaving sides.

"Gah, next time, we're taking the main trail back to camp," Ivysong groaned, looking over her dirty pelt in dissatisfaction. Fallstripe purred, nosing her sister to her paws. "We should go out sometime with Sparkfire and Duskleap, we haven't gone out hunting together for a while," Ivysong mewed, mentioning their brothers.

"We eat together almost every night, it's not like we never see them," Fallstripe mewed, picking out a few of the larger twigs from her sister's pelt with a hooked claw. "We're all busy with our duties after all, it's not strange that we always get put on separate patrols."

"I just thought it would be nice," Ivysong mewed softly, eyes turning up toward the camp where the noise of cats at work and play drifted to them. "Are you coming into camp?" Ivysong asked, looking over her shoulder as she took a few steps toward camp.

"Uhm, soon, father asked me to do something for him really fast, I'll be back by the time you finish your patrol though," she promised, nodding her sister away.

"Okay," Ivysong mewed, a little worried at her vague answer, "Hopefully by then we'll know what's going to happen to Flint."

Fallstripe nodded, getting that unsettling feeling in her stomach at the mention of the rogue. _I hope it's just a feeling… but oh StarClan, please keep him out of the Clan. Or at least, away from me._


	4. Chapter 4

Dusk had settled over the forest and the fading light of the sun cast long shadows over the leaf-covered ground. The fallen leaves that had burned like a bright crimson carpet in the sunset were now an ashen brown blanket for the earth. The remaining leaves on the trees were a dark shadow clinging to branches and the bare branches stood out like gray bony legs from the leaf cover.

A lone nightjar's singing gave a dissonant performance that shunned other creatures from making a sound and the light breeze that brushed in from the direction of the lake barely crinkled the leaves against each other.

Fallstripe stood in a dying pool of gray light deep in rogue forest, eyes closed and nose to the darkening sky. _Another day without a clue…_ She was growing frustrated, especially after her father's rebuke when she had brought Flint to the meeting earlier that day.

If she couldn't figure out who the murderer was, it was likely she would never be given a mission like this again and she'd be stuck as a second-rate warrior who wasn't good at fighting and had no special ways to serve her Clan.

 _I meet up with Thorn again tomorrow… maybe he'll have found something I haven't…_ Fallstripe turned toward the ThunderClan border with her head and tail lowered in disappointment. Crossing the border back into familiar territory she looked over her shoulder to scan to scenery of gray and brown one last time.

There hadn't been a single foreign cat scent within a hundred fox-lengths of the border. She was beginning to wonder if this cat was really a rogue or was a vengeful Clan cat, like Pinefur or Jaypaw from the elders' stories.

Continuing toward camp she continued pondering the purpose of the killings, both how they were being done and why. Given what she knew, it was nearly impossible to narrow down the suspects other than that they were a cat and were strong enough to defeat senior warriors and had some information, and probably connection, to the Clans.

 _But that still leaves dozens of possibilities, if I could even figure out what Clan, or if they were a Clan cat at all, I could probably catch them._ All she needed was a scent or tuft of fur and she could use to deduce the culprit, but the murderer never left a trace.

Nearing camp, Fallstripe forced herself off the trail and stalked her way between two fern bushes, intent on catching some prey to explain her absence. She was a decent hunter, but nowhere near the best, her stalking was impeccable but she sometimes had trouble hooking her claws around her prey in time.

Nonetheless, she had two mice and a shrew before the light had faded from the sky and she hurried even faster back to camp, remembering how she'd promised Ivysong to be back in time for the evening meal. _They've probably eaten by now, but maybe they're still sharing tongues, well, we aren't strangers to not keeping promises._

Brushing past the bramble barrier she entered the camp, expecting to find it quiet with only a few cats still out sharing tongues and waiting to watch the stars come out. Instead the entire Clan was milling about, even Dovesong with her two kits were sitting by the nursery, eyes attentively fixed on Snowheart, the father of her kits who was explaining something to them.

Fallstripe was glad that they were all too preoccupied to ask after her absence, and quietly placed her offerings on the fresh-kill pile, taking a small vole for her own meal. Scanning the clearing, she spotted her littermates with a few of their clan-mates in the shadow of the warriors' den, their usual spot. Gulping down her meal, she kicked some dirt over the bones and trotted over to them, licking the last scraps from her muzzle.

"Boulderstar can't possibly allow a rogue to join the Clan," Sootfur was growling, gray eyes flashing angrily up toward Boulderstar's den.

"He hasn't come to a decision yet," Lightpool mewed soothingly, her pale tabby pelt gray in the low light. "But I can't believe he brought that rogue into the camp," she added, narrowing her eyes as her tail flicked.

"But the rogue… he looks just like…" Fallstripe's brother, Sparkfire, trailed off, his amber eyes concerned and a perplexed look on his dark face.

"Sootfur's right," Ivysong spoke up strongly, looking with adoring eyes at the dark gray tom, a look that made Fallstripe's belly twist. "He's not a born member of this Clan, he can never be a true member of ThunderClan."

Fallstripe felt rebuffed by the tension her friends and family were displaying, but she felt a strike of indignity at Ivysong's words, and her unconcealed affection for Sootfur. "Hang on, Needlepine and Rainstone weren't born members of the Clan either, but they're still our Clan-mates," Fallstripe argued, standing between her two brothers—she could see from the look in their eyes that they'd wanted to argue with the older warriors as well.

"Fallstripe's right," her orange-brown brother Duskleap mewed, "Our mother's mother, Sootfall, was born a rogue too. And this cat claims to have ThunderClan blood, doesn't that make him less of a rogue?"

Sootfur glowered at the three of them and Lightpool narrowed her eyes, but Darkclaw nodded, "They have a point, I think this is a decision that Boulderstar has to make, and we should accept it, whatever it is," he added, giving his sister, Lightpool, a hard stare.

The group murmured their consent and started to break up, turning their attention to highrock where Boulderstar was expected to announce his decision any moment now. But Sootfur signaled for her to follow him a few steps away from the other cats and she followed obediently, under Ivysong's watchful gaze.

"Is that really how you feel, Fallstripe?" Sootfur growled, turning to her reproachfully.

"Yes," she answered simply, looking at her former mentor's dark expression without fear. She had been his first apprentice, and he had been the first cat out of the Clan to really try to help her get stronger. They had a strong bond, and Fallstripe felt courageous in his presence, even though she worried she'd disappointed him with her general lack of fighting skill. But he'd taught her how to stand up for herself and to always search for ways to help her Clan, that was why her position as spy and investigator were so important to her.

Sootfur stared at her for a few moments before nodding curtly, "If that's true, then don't waver. You've got good instincts and can see things differently than some of your Clanmates can," he walked past her back toward the group and Fallstripe felt a warm glow in her chest.

She turned to follow him, but the warm glow faded as she watched him sit down next to Ivysong who purred with mirth and pleasure at something he said to her. The hard, knotted feeling came back, and she slunk away at the back of the crowd as if she had been rebuked. She found refuge from her peers by sitting with the elders, ending up between Needlepine and Wispheart.

"I guess the excitement will be over soon," Needlepine drawled, addressing Wispheart.

The elder shrugged her thin shoulders, eyes closed with content. "This wouldn't be the first time we took in an outsider. Not including yourself, there are several still in the Clan."

Fallstripe wanted to add something but didn't dare interrupt the elders, instead she tried to shrink herself down, so that they could continue talking over her head. "I heard you were part of the patrol to go meet the rogue today, Fallstripe, what is he like?" Needlepine asked kindly, his milky green eyes resting on her gently.

Fallstripe squirmed in her spot, for all her warmth towards Rainstone and Sootfall, she had never been particularly fond of Needlepine—after all, he was born in ShadowClan, and who can trust a ShadowClan cat?

"He's not very smart…" Fallstripe mewed in a low voice, darting a searching glance at the elder.

Needlepine purred and his tail flicked, "He's not, huh? But," and he lowered his voice, "The same could be said for several of our Clan-mates," he mewed with a playful twinkle in his eyes.

Fallstripe looked at him with wide eyes for a moment before purring along with Wispheart. "Don't listen to him, his head is full of old fluff," the former deputy mewed, nodding teasingly at her den-mate.

The three cats fell to purring but were cut off at Boulderstar's yowl from highledge, signalling the beginning of the meeting. Fallstripe sat straight up, eyes locked admiringly on her leader who stood proudly at the edge of the ledge flanked by the two matching dark gray and silver tabby toms that stood on either side of him.

"ThunderClan, this cat, Flint, has requested to join our Clan. He claims to have blood connections to our Clan, and as you can all see," the gray leader flicked his tail between Coalspark and Flint, "That appears to be true."

He waited for the round of murmurs to subside throughout the Clan. "We have a responsibility to care for our Clan and kin, and so I have decided to allow him to join. However, he must be able to prove himself a warrior. And so, I have decided that he will enter the Clan as an apprentice and will have three moons to learn the warrior code and the necessary skills of a warrior. If he succeeds in becoming a respectable warrior of our Clan, he will officially become a warrior of our Clan."

Boulderstar paused for a moment and turned to Flint, whose dark eyes were glowing with excitement. "And if you cannot become a loyal warrior, we will send you away, do you accept this arrangement?"

Flint looked Boulderstar square in the eye and nodded, "I do."

The leader nodded, a perplexed expression of pleasure on his face, "Then until your apprentice period has finished, you will be known as Flintpaw. Your mentor will be Smokeclaw," Boulderstar mewed and Fallstripe watched, impressed, as the dark gray tom stepped out of the crowd, looking both surprised and a little flattered.

"Smokeclaw, you did an excellent job training Spottedwing, I am sure you will be able to aid Flintpaw in learning the ways of the Clan."

"Boulderstar is serious about this cat, making his own son the mentor? That's impressive," Needlepine mewed, eyes watching curiously as Flintpaw hopped down the rocks into the camp and greeted his new mentor with a deep bow.

Fallstripe's whiskers twitched, "Flintpaw is bigger than his mentor," she mewed, observing how Flintpaw was taller and broader than the slightly shorter and much leaner Smokeclaw.

"I wonder how capable he is, Flintpaw looks to be about your age," Wispheart mewed, talking to her. "Most of his training may just be learning the ways of the Clan, if he's capable."

"I don't think so… he couldn't even tell where the border marker was," Fallstripe mewed, narrowing her eyes at Flintpaw. He was a part of the Clan now, a Clan-mate, just like how she didn't want. She felt queasy as some cats cautiously went up to greet and congratulate the new apprentice. The atmosphere was tense and she could sense that more than one cat were unhappy about this new member.

"Come on, Fallstripe, let's go greet him together," her brother, Sparkfire, called her over from where he stood next to Duskleap.

Fallstripe jumped up and bounded over to them, "Where's Ivysong?" she asked, looking around for their sister.

"Oh… I think she'll greet him later, she's a little busy hanging out with the moody cats," Duskleap mewed, rolling his eyes over to where Ivysong, Sootfur, Lightpool, and Mallowpelt sat, shooting suspicious looks over at Flintpaw.

Fallstripe turned her back on them, ignoring the way Ivysong laid her tail on Sootfur's shoulder in a soothing gesture. "Let's go," she mewed, marching through the throng of cats toward the new apprentice.

Cats were starting to return to their dens and the first stars glimmered brightly in silverpelt overhead as they reached the new apprentice and mentor. "Fallstripe," Flintpaw greeted her, dark blue eyes twinkling in excitement, "I made it into the Clan."

"So you did," Fallstripe mewed quietly, dipping her head in return, "I hope StarClan guides you."

"Yes, welcome to the Clan," Duskleap mewed, "I am Duskleap, and this is my brother, Sparkfire, and you seem to know my sister Fallstripe already," the orange-brown tom mewed in a friendly manner, "If you ever need help, you can count on us."

Flintpaw nodded his head, "Thank you, I-"

But Smokeclaw stepped forward to interrupt him, "Thanks you three, I'm sure I'll be asking you for help with battle practice since it wouldn't be fair to use Tallpaw or Cloudpaw. But for now, I think it's best if I get him settled, we have an early start tomorrow. And the three of you should get some rest too."

They readily assented and mewed goodnight before starting to head towards the warriors' den, Fallstripe walking in between her two taller brothers. "I think he'll be a good warrior," Sparkfire mewed, his amber eyes thoughtful.

"What makes you say that? Your secret intuition?" Duskleap teased.

Sparkfire shrugged and didn't respond. Fallstripe watched her black furred brother carefully, he had always been quiet and only really talked around those he was familiar with, but he had never been a bad judge of character before. _Maybe I just misjudged him, maybe this investigation with the murderer is making me see threats that aren't there. Maybe the feeling will go away._

But as she curled down in her nest next to her littermates and listened to Ivysong and Sooftfur's murmurs in the quiet darkness the feeling wouldn't leave, but instead intensified.

* * *

The next seven days passed in a tense peace, a strange feeling of suspense enveloped the Clan, due primarily the two causes. One, Flintpaw's integration into the Clan brought with it all the awkward glances, suspicious grumbles, and dividing opinions. Second was the unsolved murder case. The cats were tense with no news and the Clan began to look at shadows or strange noises differently, as if every unexpected movement betrayed a hunter. The silence seemed more terrifying than the actual murderer.

Fallstripe especially was affected by this silence. Her continued patrols and interaction with Thorn turned up nothing. Not a trace of anything strange or suspicious inside or outside the borders. Her moon was slipping away, she had little more than half a moon left, and she was beginning to think she would never find a clue or a lead.

Flintpaw, on the other paw, seemed to be the only cat oblivious to the troubles and fear plaguing the Clan. Despite his sticky position with some of the more suspicious warriors, he easily endeared himself to his two fellow apprentices and mentor, as well as the elders who he often oversaw taking care of since the mentors preferred him taking care of the elders instead of the queens and kits.

Fallstripe avoided him, focused on her own work, but he insisted on learning a bit about every cat in the Clan, so she'd gone hunting a few times with him. She was impressed by his speed and precision, for his bulky size, but he was still a poor hunter, unable to conceal his presence very well in the forest.

But today was her first border patrol with him and she watched him curiously as they padded along the WindClan border, watching as Smokeclaw explained to him their current relationship with WindClan.

"We have relative peace on this border for the time being, but with leaf-bare coming on, we have to be careful that they don't start pushing on the border," Smokeclaw explained and Flintpaw nodded seriously, even though his eyes were watching the red and orange maple leaves as they floated down from their branches, his tail twitching as if he would like to leap up and snag one.

"Flintpaw is kind of funny," Spottedwing, a pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with soft green eyes giggled to her.

Fallstripe shrugged, trying to stay focused as she and Spottedwing brought up the back of the patrol. "At least he's learning," she mewed, watching as the patrol leader, Ravenwing, flicked her tail and Flintpaw understood the signal without asking and set a border marker.

"He's kind of handsome too," Spottedwing mewed, looking at her suggestively.

Fallstripe rolled her eyes, "I thought you liked Stoneheart," she mewed, narrowing her eyes at the tortoiseshell she-cat.

"I was just saying," Spottedwing defended herself, "Besides," she mewed, lowering her tail in defeat, "Stoneheart doesn't care about anything but warrior duties. All he does is work, work, work, he'll never like me the way I like him."

"Hey, less chatting more patrolling back there," Ravenwing snapped and the two young warriors straightened under the senior warrior's scathing gaze. "Keep this up and you two won't be going to the gathering tonight."

Fallstripe twitched her tail in annoyance, _I never get to go to the gathering anymore, since Coalspark always wants me to be working._ She growled to herself, trying to ignore the way Spottedwing started sniffing the air as if her life depended on it.

"What's a gathering?" Flintpaw asked, looking behind at them two of them.

"It's a time that all four clans gather together to exchange news and gossip," Spottedwing mewed excitedly, "It's really fun and exciting," the she-cat continued.

Smokeclaw gave Spottedwing an exasperated glance, "More importantly, it is a night where all four Clans can gather in peace under a truce that forbids any sort of fighting and exchange information and news. It is an excellent opportunity to know and understand our enemies so that we can be better prepared for an attack or another sort of aggression," Smokeclaw explained.

Flintpaw nodded in excitement, "Where I came from, we sometimes met up with the other cats in the area in order to counter or solve a problem together."

Fallstripe pricked her ears and all four cats looked at Flintpaw in curiosity, he had never mentioned where he came from before, just that it was far away. "Were there Clans where you came from?" Spottedwing asked.

Flintpaw's eyes flashed with embarrassment and he dipped his head, "No, just groups of families that lived in an area… not anything like a Clan like there are here."

"In any case, everyone be prepared, we have company," Ravenwing growled.

Fallstripe lifted her head, smelling the fresh WindClan scent. Through the empty rows of forest trees, she could see moving shapes. "Five cats," she reported and Ravenwing nodded.

"Looks like their dawn patrol," Smokeclaw mewed, "Everyone remain calm, no need to start a fight."

"Humph, I thought I smelled something especially unpleasant," a shrill voice cut through the forest, startling a finch from its perch and sending it into flight.

"Rabbitear," Ravenwing mewed with a terse tone, greeting the WindClan's patrol leader, a pale brown she-cat with sharply pointed ears and a sarcastic expression on her face.

"We'd better double check the border, with a cat like you in charge," the WindClan cat mewed, signaling with her tail for her cats to fan out along the border. "You can never trust a ThunderClan cat," she sneered.

Fallstripe's heart pounded with rage and she glared at the mocking looks of the WindClan cats as they padded up and down on their side of the stream. The hairs on her neck prickled as one of the WindClan cats kicked a pebble into the stream, splashing her paws. She glared at the cat who continued as if nothing had happened. She let her claws slide out as the WindClan cats bunched up again, giving their report to Rabbitear and sending mocking looks towards the ThunderClan patrol.

Her heart was beating rapidly, and she could see the others were fluffing up their fur defensively. _Will there be a fight?_ She was no good at fighting, but she would defend her Clan's territory. With Leaf-bare approaching it was no time to be getting soft with their moronic neighbors.

She glanced at Flintpaw, wondering how he was reacting to this since this was his first encounter with another Clan's patrol. The dark gray tom's pelt was smooth, and his dark eyes remained calm. He seemed to be the only one not ruffled by the WindClan cat's hostility.

"Humph, seems you haven't crossed our border after all," Rabbitear mewed, again in that shrill voice like a dying shrew. "But we can't leave until you do, after all, Smokeclaw, you are Jaypaw's brother. We can never be too sure with that family," Rabbitear sneered, her face twisting into an ugly look of anger.

 _Jaypaw?_ Fallstripe's ears fell flat against her head and a snarl crept over her face, _she's been dead since before I was born! She's just a scary ghost story! How dare she antagonize Smokeclaw about his dead sister!_

Growls were coming from the throats of all the ThunderClan cats after that comment, but before any cat could speak a word a dark blur shot over the stream and bowled the scrawny WindClan cat to the ground, his bulk pushing back the shocked WindClan patrol as he pinned the shrieking, writhing Rabbitear under his paws.

"Hey! What are you doing, fox-heart?" a WindClan cat jumped onto the perpetrator's, Flintpaw's, back, digging his claws into him. But Flintpaw ignored him, leaning down to hiss something at Rabbitear with a face darker than she had ever seen on him. He looked more like her father than ever.

"Flintpaw, get back here now!" Smokeclaw's furious voice cut through the struggling sounds and the cats ceased.

Flintpaw let Rabbitear go and turned toward the border, head and tail down. Fallstripe could see his head wasn't lowered in shame, he was trying the hide the flaming rage in his eyes as he leaped back across the stream and padded slowly next to Smokeclaw, huffing and panting and not looking back at the WindClan cats.

"You want to start a fight?" Rabbitear hissed, hostility turned to downright hatred. Her shoulders dripped with blood and Fallstripe gulped as she watched the blood drip in scarlet drops to the leaf-strewn forest floor.

Smokeclaw dipped his head down low, "I am very sorry for this incident, you can be assured that he will be punished," Smokeclaw mewed, glaring at Flintpaw.

Rabbitear snarled, "You can bet that this will be reported to Cavestar and he'll have something to say about it at the gathering tonight. In the meantime, keep your warriors under control, ThunderClan flea-pelts." With those parting words the WindClan cats retreated in a cloud of blood, dust, and anger.

"Are you insane?" Smokeclaw growled, cuffing Flintpaw over the ears so hard the tom stumbled. "I never want to see something like that from you again. And if you hope to become a warrior of this Clan, it had better not."

Flintpaw looked up, a glimmer of fear and remorse in his dark and angry gaze. "But they insulted you," he defended himself.

"Rival Clans insult each other, that's always the case, a true warrior knows that actions speak louder than words. And your actions showed that you are a warrior-code breaking fool. I was going to recommend you go to the gathering tonight, but that will certainly not happen now. And you will be punished for this," Smokeclaw growled, glaring at his apprentice.

Fallstripe and Spottedwing shared a shocked look, Smokeclaw was always so relaxed and easygoing, not even Spottedwing, who had been his first apprentice, had seen him this angry. "Let's go back to camp," he mewed, looking at Ravenwing who nodded and quickly led them on the fastest path through the drying forest.

Flintpaw walked alone behind Smokeclaw and Ravenwing, his head lowered and his tail trailing in the dirt. Spottedwing nudged her and nodded at the crestfallen apprentice. Fallstripe grumbled, "Why don't you comfort him yourself?"

"He likes you more, go on, this is your chance to get closer to him!" Spottedleaf mewed gleefully.

Fallstripe twitched his ears, "He looks exactly like my dad! We're probably kin."

"Almost every cat in the Clan is partly kin. He's probably distant kin and it's just a coincidence. Besides, you don't have to be mates with every tom you get closed to, just be friends!" Spottedwing mewed, shoving her into Flintpaw so that they both stumbled.

"Er, sorry," she mewed to Flintpaw, shooting a quick glare at Spottedwing who looked at them with satisfaction. "It's okay, every cat let's their emotions get away from them sometime," she mewed, but felt how false it was, she didn't know any cat who had done something so impulsive.

Flintpaw gave a noncommittal grunt as a response, "And there's a gathering every moon, you'll have another chance next moon. Smokeclaw isn't unreasonable, he knows you're new and still learning. And your wounds are barely scratches, they won't stop you from training for more then a day or two," she tried to encourage weakly.

Flintpaw looked at her sharply, his dark eyes sparking that sinking feeling in her stomach again. "I'm not upset about that," he growled.

"Then what is it?" Fallstripe asked, a little miffed at him ignoring her attempts to cheer him up.

Flintpaw didn't respond but sank back into silence and ignored her continued attempts all the way back to camp. "Fallstripe," Smokeclaw mewed as they paused outside of camp, "Please take Flintpaw to see Rainfall. Spottedwing, you should probably get something to eat and rest before the gathering tonight."

"Thank you," Spottedwing mewed, dipping her head and scurrying into camp. Fallstripe watched her enviously, _hopefully once this murderer is captured I can go to a gathering again._

"Come on, let's go see Rainfall," she mewed gruffly, trying to hide her vexation as she led the mutinously silent Flintpaw past the curious onlookers who had already gathered from Flintpaw's wounds that something had happened. Entering into the cool medicine-cat den she breathed a sigh of relief, relishing in the sweet fragrance of the herbs.

"Rainfall?" she called for the medicine-cat, but her ears twitched in surprise to see it was empty.

"Fallstripe," a voice came from behind her and she turned to see Scorch padding into the den, a sympathetic expression on the small cat's face. "Rainfall is out collecting herbs right now, but I can treat Flintpaw," she mewed, gesturing with her tail for the dark gray tom to follow her into the cave part of the den.

Fallstripe sat outside, watching as the small red and black she-cat took out a few herbs and chewed them into a poultice and then with her small, deft paws smeared them over Flintpaw's wounds as precisely as if she could see them. The tom winced but didn't protest, watching curiously as Scorch then bandaged the wounds securely with cobwebs.

"They shouldn't need any more medicine unless they get infected. Just take it easy for today to let the wounds close completely and then keep them clean until they heal," Scorch instructed, blinking her wide, blind eyes.

"Thank you," Flintpaw mewed softly and Fallstripe was surprised at the tenderness in which he touched Scorch's small nose. Scorch purred, her eyes soft and wistful as she returned the gesture.

"Fallstripe, are you going to the gathering tonight?" Scorch asked, approaching her.

"Oh, no, not tonight," she mumbled, knowing that some cats wondered why she hadn't attended a gathering in what was now three moons.

"Then could you keep an eye on Flintpaw? Just make sure he doesn't do anything reckless," Scorch whispered so that Flintpaw couldn't hear.

Fallstripe purred and promised to keep an eye on him, "Thank you, Scorch," she mewed as the tiny red and black she-cat padded out of the den with a friendly wave of her tail.

"Scorch is Smokeclaw's mother, isn't she?" Flintpaw asked wonderingly.

Fallstripe glanced at him and nodded, "She's also Stoneheart and Rainfall's mother, which of course makes her Boulderstar's mate. She's also mother of the infamous Jaypaw, but it's best not to mention that," she added, glancing quickly at Flintpaw and narrowing her eyes as she saw a black look of defiance pass through them. _I'm starting to wonder…_

"Come on, we can get something to eat together and then we can rest, I've got some work to do tonight but we can hang out until then," Fallstripe offered, shooting a curious glance over her shoulder. Well, after all, she had just promised Scorch to watch him for the evening.

Flintpaw's ears pricked up and when he looked at her his dark eyes were back to their normal, contented expression, "Alright, sounds good."

Fallstripe led him over to the fresh-kill pile and picked out two small mice for them to share. She saw his look of dismay as she herded him away from the fresh-kill pile with her tail. "That can't be for the both of us, right?" Flintpaw asked dubiously as they sat down in a sunny spot by the apprentice's den.

Fallstripe flicked her tail over his silver-tipped ears, "If you hadn't already forgotten, you broke the warrior-code this morning. Usually, apprentices who break the warrior-code don't eat at all for at least a day, but your mentor is going easy on you," she mewed, pushing one of the small brown mice towards him with a paw starting to eat her own.

Flintpaw gave a grumble before starting to eat his own mouse, gulping it down in a few heartbeats while Fallstripe delicately picked at hers, trying to make it last longer. "Why don't you eat more yourself?" Flintpaw asked, narrowing his eyes at her as she stubbornly tried to look satisfied with her paltry meal.

"Because," she sighed, closing her eyes and enjoying the warm sunlight that tempered the cool breeze. "The cats who are going to the gathering are the ones who really need to eat. I can hunt later and eat once they've already left. But there's no hunting on another Clan's territory, so they can't eat once they leave for the gathering," she mewed, explaining it as she would to a kit.

Flintpaw didn't respond and she opened her eyes to see him frowning up at highledge. Following his gaze, she could see Boulderstar and Smokeclaw's gray pelts shimmering in the sunlight against the light gray rocks of the cliffside.

"Don't worry about it," she yawned, laying down on her side and scratching her head against the short grass, eyes drifting to a brightly colored ladybug that crawled onto a blade of glass right in front of her nose.

"Although," she mused, rolling onto her back so that her belly was open to the sky, "I don't know why you attacked them. Sure, they were being annoying, but they are always trying to goad us so that they have an excuse to fight, you have to get used to it."

"That wasn't it," Flintpaw growled, his dark eyes narrowed into slits as he glared at the ground, tail tucked tightly over his front paws.

Fallstripe observed him carefully, even though he had done nothing but try to become a warrior, she knew that until the murderer was captured, she couldn't eliminate him as a suspect. The timing could just be coincidence, but the sinking feeling she got whenever she thought about it told her it wasn't. _And his sudden and violent attack today makes him more suspicious… it's a good thing WindClan didn't realize he was an outsider._

"Fallstripe," Flintpaw mewed, turning his slitted gaze on her, though there wasn't as much anger in them now, "Did you know a cat named Rainstone?"

Fallstripe rolled onto her paws, ears pricked and eyes wide in surprise. "Yes, actually, she lived in this Clan since before I was even born."

Flintpaw's eyes widened in surprise, "I see, and is she no longer here?" he asked, looking around as if he hadn't met every cat in the Clan a long time ago.

"No," Fallstripe mewed, her tone softening as she recalled memories, "She died last new-leaf."

Flintpaw's gaze betrayed a flash of shock as he stared at her, mouth agape. "I see," he mewed quietly, looking at his paws in disappointment.

Fallstripe stared at him though and couldn't help asking, "How did you know Rainstone?" _Is he related? But no… he must be related to Coalspark, not Rainstone, right?_

"Oh, uh," Flintpaw's eyes glanced around the clearing as if looking for something, "My mother was a friend of hers and said she might be with the Clans…"

Fallstripe narrowed her eyes, to say that sounded like a lie was an understatement, clearly, he wasn't good at hiding things, _what an idiot…_ But maybe that was how he was related to the Clans… "Hey, you know Needlepine, right?" she asked, flicking her ears toward the elders' den, "He was Rainstone's mate. He still lives here even though he was originally born in ShadowClan."

Flintpaw jumped to his paws, tail lashing in excitement, "The old fox! He never said anything!" the apprentice mewed and Fallstripe purred at how affectionately Flintpaw referred to the elder. He seemed to have bonded to the elders especially well while taking care of them.

Fallstripe waved her tail, "Why don't you go check their pelts for fleas and change their bedding? I'm sure they'd be happy to answer your questions," she offered, amused and pleased by the warmth that had replaced Flintpaw's previously cold mood.

"Thank you, Fallstripe, I'm going there now!" he mewed, turning and trotting toward the elders' den with his tail high.

Fallstripe watched him until his tail disappeared into the den and then laid back down, resting her tired limbs in the warm sunlight. She dozed for awhile while she watched the cats around the camp. She watched two kits fighting over a moss ball and the apprentices talking excitedly about the gathering that evening. A group of warriors were discussing preparations for leaf-bare which crept ever closer. And Rainfall returned from the forest, his mouth full of herbs and a pleased and contented expression in his eyes.

Fallstripe yawned and closed her eyes, she may not be going to the gathering, but she didn't expect her night to be any less exciting.


	5. Chapter 5

The honey-gold rays of sunlight danced off the red and orange shades of leaves, turning the top of the forest into a rolling blanket of auburn shades. The light that fell below onto the lurid grass was amber and lit up even the darkest corners with a crisp, colorful shade of carmine.

The full moon was already rising, its brilliant white face sheepishly peeking over the tree tops in the darker corner of the sky, its light unmatched by any of the stars that were appearing in silverpelt. A few clouds hung in the sky to the north, but their wispy, far-away forms were hardly noticeable as the light continued to dim towards gray.

It was in this time, in the last moments of sunset, that the cats were heading out to go to the gathering. Fallstripe laid on her belly in a patch of warm sunlight, the russet color giving her coat an almost sepia tinge. A few leaves drifted into the clearing, carried by the chilly breeze that crinkled the leaves on the trees. The nights were getting colder and Fallstripe touched her nose to her paw, shivering as she thought of the work she had to do that night.

"Have a goodnight, Scorch," she mewed, getting to her paws and bowing respectfully as the small she-cat passed by her with Rainfall at her side. The blind she-cat turned toward her and purred, nodding at her. Rainfall glanced at her for a moment, but didn't say anything, his strides lengthening as he and Scorch joined up with the rest of the patrol. Fallstripe watched him as he went to stand by her mother, Dappledleaf, greeting her with a familiar air that told of their many moons of friendship.

Fallstripe observed this lazily, wondering for the umpteenth time why Rainfall was so friendly with their mother but preferred to ignore her and her littermates, and was openly hostile to their father. But no matter how many times she investigated that mystery, nothing turned up. He had spent almost as much time in the nursery with them as Rainstone, but he had never once tried to bond with them, preferring conversations with their mother about arbitrary Clan topics. And yet, Fallstripe knew Dappledleaf appreciated his company while Coalspark was so busy, so she still viewed him with a positive light, for her mother's sake.

Fallstripe watched as Boulderstar leaped down the rock pile from highrock with dignified control as Coalspark followed behind him, talking to him in such low tones that Fallstripe couldn't overhear, despite that they passed within three tail lengths of her.

Coalspark glanced at her and their eyes met, but the deputy didn't pause and Fallstripe nodded respectfully as they gathered the Clan together and led the cats through the gorse entrance. The cats were vibrating with excitement, there were quick glances and restless paws and sweeping tails and twitching ears, all betraying their anticipation for the gathering.

Fallstripe always felt strangely isolated when she watched the cats getting ready to leave, her quiet mind and slow heartbeat were so different from their eagerness that it felt like she was looking at the sun but couldn't feel any warmth.

"Have a good night, Fallstripe, you'll go next time for sure," Ivysong mewed and Lightpool mewed her agreement, both giving her pitying looks that made her feel even colder.

"Come on, Ivysong, we're leaving," Sootfur mewed, giving her a quick, friendly nod but then immediately turning to Ivysong and leading her over to the exiting group, his gray eyes fixed on the chattering white she-cat with a strange look of pleasure.

 _Their affection for each other just keeps getting stronger…_ Fallstripe thought with defeat but delighted by their closeness and horrified at her own tinge of jealous pain. _Better keep myself busy,_ she thought, stretching out her legs one by one and heading over to Sagelight, who had been left in charge of the Clan as the oldest warrior there.

"Sagelight, can I go out for a walk? It's such a nice evening," she mewed smoothly, eyes focused casually and a pleasant tone to her words.

Sagelight purred, "Hard to sit still with all that energy around you? Go ahead, but be back before it's too late, you're on dawn patrol," the senior queen mewed and Fallstripe thanked her, cursing her father in her mind for putting her on dawn patrol when he knew she would spend all night searching for clues.

But once out in the forest her agitation died. It truly was a picturesque evening. The red stained sky streaked out from the west where the light continued to fade to a dark purple where the evening stars were emerging in numbers.

The gray light filtered through the trees like fog, making faraway objects hazy and near objects unfamiliar with an elegant touch as silvery moonlight slowly took over the dusky gray. The cool wind buffered up against her fur, but her pelt had already taken on a leaf-bare ready thickness and she trotted onward over the leaf-covered ground without concern.

With her good mood she made excellent time covering ground and she'd made it to the edge of the territory before the last pink streaks had completely disappeared from the sky, though the moon was already half-way up the sky, its full white body brilliant and pure in the dark blue sky.

Crossing over into rogue territory, Fallstripe carefully picked her way around bramble and gorse thickets which had no well-worn path through them like in ThunderClan territory. She paused once when she thought she heard a twig snap, and with one ear cocked behind her, she scanned the surrounding undergrowth, seeing nothing out of the ordinary and her nose caching nothing she continued onward. The caw of a crow close by chased away the rest of her fears and she continued unhurried to the meeting place.

The small grassy glade appeared wind-torn and empty and compared to what it had been not more than half a moon ago, it had weathered. The grass had died back to a yellow-green and was not nearly as pleasant to sit on. The undergrowth had died back along the edges and the aspen trees encircling the clearing were nearly stripped bare, giving the area a desolate feeling.

Here, as she sat down, she did feel the wind and shivered despite herself as she looked over her shoulder at the forest shadows. Thorn was usually there before her, but his scent here was stale and was from three nights ago when they'd last met up to exchange their inconsequential bits of information. She could only hope he could share something more with her tonight, since she had nothing to tell him.

She groomed her fur as she waited, but before long was too cold and gave that up, opting instead to practice her battle moves, hoping that movement would warm herself up. Crouching down she sprang up into the air, using her tail to spin herself around midair, landing with claws unsheathed on an imaginary opponent's back.

She landed perfectly balanced, but looking back at where she'd leaped, she had moved only a tail-length from her spot. This maneuver was meant to cover at least the three tail-lengths cats typically kept away from each other when in combat. And it needed to be much more precise, able to adapt to the flow of battle. This inconsistency of hers to replicate certain moves was one of her main struggles. She could do a move perfectly, maybe once a training session, but her range of good to bad was far too wild and so she kept to easier tasks for her, such as sneaking around and spying.

She tried a couple more moves, some were executed better than others, but she was successful in warming herself up and she sat down panting, only her ears still feeling cold. "You're working hard, as usual," a warm purr greeted her and Fallstripe jumped in her skin, dark eyes flashing to an approaching shadow and relaxing as the scent hit her nose and he stepped into the milky white moonlight.

Thorn looked as well-fed and well-muscled as ever, despite the chilly weather. His warm blue eyes glinted with silver in the moonlight and there was nothing but friendliness in his expression. Tonight he seemed unusually handsome, with the full moon behind him, illuminating every inch of his perfectly groomed fur.

"Not hard enough," Fallstripe complained, "I can't find a clue no matter how long or far I look. And now with only half a moon to go, it's looking like I won't be able to complete this mission," she mewed gloomily, already picturing the severe disapproving look her father would give her.

"Don't give up," Thorn encouraged, eyes round with sympathy as he sat down next to her, looking up toward the stars. "You're not alone, I'm helping you, and I know we can do this together," he purred, "I'd be sad if all our time working together ended only in failure," he mewed, looking at her with an unreadable emotion in his eyes. "I'm confident that won't happen though."

Fallstripe wriggled uncomfortably, she wasn't sure why but the expression in his eyes reminded her of the one she saw in Sootfur's eyes, the one that hurt when she only saw it when he looked at Ivysong. And that made her nervous.

"Well, I guess it's good news that we haven't had any more incidents in the Clan since Leopardspot," Fallstripe sighed, "Even though that means the trail has gone cold again."

"That's just it, the killer has killed again though," Thorn mewed, a serious expression changing his face.

Fallstripe pricked her ears, "In another Clan?"

Thorn nodded, "Just this evening, that's why I was late," he mewed, then went on to explain. "I was circling the outside of all the Clan's territory, and I was just finishing up WindClan when I caught the scent of cat blood, since the wind was blowing in just the right direction. It wasn't far into WindClan territory when I found the dead cat. I must have just missed the killer because the cat was still warm."

"How did the cat die?" Fallstripe asked, almost disgusted at how happy she was.

"I couldn't tell. The cat was injured, and it looked like it was from a scuffle, but those injuries were minor and didn't seem recent enough to be made by the killer. I don't think that's what killed her, but to me it looked like her throat had been crushed."

Fallstripe's fur lifted along her spine, this was the killer they were after, this killer like to suffocate the victims, leaving no scratch or bite marks to use as clues. "And you say this was near the border? Did it look like she had been moved?"

Thorn shrugged, "I don't know, the ground doesn't leave much imprint there and there was no scent of anything but rabbit and blood."

"Great," Fallstripe grumbled, "Cats are being killed by deadly rabbits now." But catching Thorn's dismayed look she purred, "I'm kidding, I'm really glad you found this out. Do you know which WindClan cat it was? Did it look like a senior warrior?" she asked, wondering if this could confirm her hunch that the killer was targeting older cats for some reason.

But Thorn shook his head, "She wasn't old, but not young either, more like… the age of your parents that you told me about."

Fallstripe frowned, so maybe it had just been chance that only older cats had died so far. _No_ … old cats were typically weaker, and Thorn had said this cat had been injured, maybe it was just looking for weaker cats? Fallstripe growled, how despicable… Warriors were supposed to protect the weak, if it was a Clan cat that would be the ultimate crime.

"She was… kind of small with pale brown fur but really long ears," Thorn remembered, his expression darkening as he recalled the dead cat.

Fallstripe looked at him in alarm, a small pale brown she-cat with prominent ears and minor injuries? "Not Rabbitear, we just saw her today, she was as unpleasant as ever and not hardly hurt at all, no way could she have been overpowered so easily, she could have just run away…" Fallstripe frowned, disturbed to think that a cat she had seen just earlier that day was dead.

 _No, wait a moment._ Her heart started beating faster as nostalgia swept over her, this wasn't the first time she had thought that. In fact, every cat that had died outside ThunderClan so far had made trouble on the border, resulting in a scuffle or a hot debate among ThunderClan.

"Could it really be a ThunderClan cat that is the killer?" she murmured, feeling cold and scared as she and Thorn exchanged a worried glance.

"But why would ThunderClan cats also be killed?" Fallstripe was confused, how could a cat kill their own kin? She could understand going after cats that caused trouble, but what about their own? Leopardspot may have been cranky, but she had served and loved the Clan all her life. And what about the others? _This made no sense! No, you're jumping to conclusions, calm down, it could still be the cat was just looking for old or weakened cats. You need to investigate more. You need to go investigate Rabbitear's death._

She jumped to her paws, determination filling her. "Thank you Thorn, I'm going to go investigate. Keep up the good work and I'll see you in three nights," she mewed, turning and bowing her head thankfully to the tom.

Thorn got to his paws and nodded solemnly. Usually he would have offered to go with her, but he must have seen in her expression that she wanted no distractions. "Be careful, Fallstripe, stay safe," he mewed, and surprised her by caressing her nose gently. She looked into his eyes, surprised by his gesture, but his calm blue eyes held the same determination she felt in her soul and she was transfixed by his gaze for a moment, hardly daring to breathe.

"You too," she whispered, sincerity rushing through her, the first time she'd ever truly meant it to him and his eyes glimmered with joy at her words.

Confused, Fallstripe broke off the touch and turned, rushing out of the clearing and back toward ThunderClan territory at a sprint, heart in her throat as her emotions swirled around. For the first time, she felt the pain of a goodbye and wished that she had asked him to go with her after all.

But the cold wind helped clear her head and the familiar ThunderClan scents pushed away her swirling emotions so that her resolve was felt clearly throughout her body as her paws thrummed steadily along the cold, stiff ground and leaves being kicked up in her wake.

It wasn't long past moon high when she reached the edge of WindClan territory, taking deep, burning breaths of cold air as she stared through the trees toward the moor that laid ahead like a barren valley ahead. She turned north along the stream, heading along the Moonpool path, senses wide open for any thing that might be suspicious. Thorn said it was around here, not that far into WindClan territory, she thought, staring across the stream at the empty moor.

Only a few trees still gave her cover on the ThunderClan side, and as soon as she crossed over into rogue territory there was nothing but moor and moonlight. _Better to go now, when so many cats are at the gathering,_ she thought, knowing she'd be rebuked if Coalspark found out she was trespassing. But she couldn't wait until another ThunderClan cat died, she needed any clues she could find at all.

"Where are you going?" a voice growled in her ear. Fallstripe jumped, her fur on end and fear flashed through her as she spun around, heart beating wildly. Only to be faced by Flintpaw's amused look.

"You mouse-brain!" Fallstripe hissed, pinning her ears back and swiping angrily at the tom who quickly ducked, looking up at her with playful eyes. "Go back to camp," she ordered, puffing out her chest as the tom slowly drew himself up and towered over her. "You're an apprentice, go back to camp," she repeated, feeling perplexed as she took a step back from him.

"I was bored, and I can't sleep until the cats get back. It's too exciting," the tom mewed, eyes glowing, seemingly to have completely forgotten how much trouble he'd gotten in earlier that day.

Fallstripe's paws grew cold as suspicion overtook her, _he fought Rabbitear for no reason, he would have known she was injured… but no, he was in camp the rest of the day, it couldn't have been him_. She thought in confusion, giving him a strange look.

"Where are you going?" Flintpaw repeated, looking out toward WindClan territory.

"Nowhere! I was just taking a walk."

"Really? You were running pretty fast all over the territory to be taking a walk," Flintpaw mewed matter-of-factly.

"How long were you following me?" she asked suddenly, afraid he had tracked her and seen her with Thorn, if her secret got out, she'd never be given a spy mission again.

"I tracked your scent almost to the rogue border by ShadowClan's territory. But then you almost trampled me, running from that direction. You're really fast, you know, I ran as fast as I could, but I didn't catch up until now," Flintpaw grumbled.

Fallstripe glared at him, "Why were you following me?"

"I was bored," Flintpaw mewed, "I already told you that though."

"Just go back to camp!" Fallstripe growled, this wasn't good, the gathering would be ending soon and then she would be in major trouble.

"Tell me what you're doing first," Flintpaw mewed stubbornly, his jaw set in a hard line. Fallstripe was taken back, that was the same look her father gave when he was set on something, and he never backed down.

"No, just keep quiet, go home, and don't breathe a word of this to anyone," she hissed, turning and leaping over the stream onto WindClan territory. But her paws had barely touched the soft peat when a thud beside her told her he had followed her.

She glared at him, silently debating if the time lost arguing with him to go back was worth it, but the moon was slipping faster across the sky and she gave up and signaled with her tail for him to be quiet and follow her. Reluctantly she led her compadre deeper into WindClan territory, making sure he disguised his scent as well as she had so that they wouldn't be found out. As they went further in, she found the scent of blood quickly and followed it, she could tell from the way Flintpaw stiffened up that he too had smelled it, but neither of them said anything.

They soon came to a small dip in the moor, a tiny hollow barely five cat-lengths in diameter and nearly perfectly circular and filled with soft moss and the sound of water. _There's a little spring here,_ Fallstripe realized and felt her heart twinge. _Rabbitear may have come here to replenish the medicine-cat's moss supplies after the scuffle earlier that day, and never returned._

Rabbitear's scent was stale and so was the scent of blood, so her Clan-mates must have found her before the gathering. _Boulderstar will probably have a tough time tonight, first explaining an arguable unprovoked attack, and then the death of a rival warrior involved in that fight near the ThunderClan border._

Her belly twisted as she leaped down onto the soft moss and investigated the hollow, Flintpaw waiting silently at the top, crouched down so that she could only see his ears outlined against the night sky. As frustratingly as it was, she found no real clues. Only the scent of Rabbitear, blood, rabbit, and the death scent mixed with lavender could be distinguished from the moss and wet scents natural to the hollow.

She searched every inch, but nothing turned up and with the bile taste of disappointment and disgust in her throat she returned to Flintpaw. "Let's go," she sighed, eyes fixed on the ground with deep thoughts floating through her head.

"Did that cat die here? The one from earlier today?" Flintpaw asked quietly, his eyes fixed intently on the hollow.

Fallstripe was impressed, he had been able to find the faint death scent and recognize the cat from the thick WindClan scent after meeting her only once. She nodded slowly, "I'm sure you've heard about cats getting murdered. But let's get back to our own territory before discussing this," she whispered, looking nervously around the moor.

They were so exposed here, she was used to hiding and even with the distraction of the mission, she felt uncomfortably obvious even in the darkness with the moon's full light giving a pale gray glow to the empty moor.

"Do you know who's killing them?" Flintpaw asked, his dark eyes wide as he turned to look at her as she turned her head toward the border, getting ready to leave.

Fallstripe sighed and shook her head, feeling frustration building in her, "We can't find any clues at all. We don't know who they are at all, just that they like to kill by suffocation."

Flintpaw jumped to his paws and circled the hollow, after a few turns bending down to sniff at something and signaling with his tail toward her. Confused, since she had already thoroughly searched the circumference of the hollow, she went up to him to see him staring at a small pebble.

She sniffed it, but there was no scent on it and she looked at him, confused. "The cat went that way," Flintpaw mewed, motioning with his nose toward the rogue border.

"How do you know?" Fallstripe narrowed her eyes.

Flintpaw motioned with his nose, "He kicked this rock over when leaving, and the grass is also bent in that direction. He left plenty of clues," Flintpaw mewed.

Fallstripe flattened her ears, looking closely at the stone, "How do you know that he kicked it? And the grass, which I don't see, wasn't blown by the wind?"

Flintpaw looked at her and flicked the pebble over, the other side was coated with moss, "It was like this until he kicked it. And the grass is faint, you wouldn't see it without looking, I'll show you," Flintpaw mewed, leading her a couple steps over to where a few blades of grass and some debris were pressed to the ground, a scattered trail spreading out in the direction of the border.

"These scraps aren't from heather, gorse, briar, or anything else nearby. They are foliage scraps from a forest. They must have fallen off him as he hurried either toward or away, since he came and went pretty fast," Flintpaw murmured, putting his face against the ground and looking at something through squinted eyes. "I'd guess he's about your size but heavier," the apprentice murmured.

Fallstripe flicked her tail, feeling infuriated that he could see something she couldn't but anxious to investigate this. "Come on, lead me along the trail quickly, the gathering will be ending about now and the cats returning," she hissed.

Flintpaw nodded, unusually somber and serious and he led her quickly along the trail she couldn't see. But as they went along, she did see signs of a recent hurried escape, a heather bush brushed the wrong direction and scratched up ground where the cat's claws had slipped out.

"He went into the stream here," Flintpaw mewed in annoyance, tail lashing as he went down to the bank. "We could search the banks for more clues, but I think at this point the trail won't be easy to find again," he mewed, his head and tail lowered in defeat.

"No, this is great, Flintpaw!" Fallstripe exclaimed, leaping across the Moonpool's stream. They were outside Clan territory close to the Moonpool, only the last pile of rocks laid between them and the sacred meeting place with StarClan. But that wasn't what excited her, in the distance, sheltered by the trees, was a patch of lavender.

With hopes higher than ever before, she raced toward the lavender patch, stopping short, her nose drinking in the thick herb smell. Her senses were heightened as she drunk in the cloying smell of lavender. She could see new bite marks where the herb had recently been harvested, she was confident this was the path the murderer had used to grab their lavender in order to mock the traditional farewell ceremony for fallen Clan-cats.

Her suspicions were confirmed when Flintpaw joined her and said the indents of a footprint matched the one by the moss hollow where Rabbitear was killed. "But I still can't get a scent, we still don't know who it is," Falllstripe sighed.

Flintpaw looked at her in surprise, "You don't need a scent, we have this," the apprentice mewed, using a paw to pull a bitten off lavender stem.

Fallstripe looked at him in confusion for a moment before understanding dawned upon her, "The bitemarks?" she asked, looking at the clean bite marks which clearly belonged to a cat.

Flintpaw nodded, "Find the cat whose bite matches this, and you've got the killer," he mewed, dark eyes glowing.

Fallstripe was taken back by his drive, but she appreciated his help more than anything. There was no way she could have followed the trail without a scent. After all, that was how warriors were taught to track.

"But how do we find the cat whose bite matches this? We can't just make all the Clan cats and surrounding rogue cats show us their bite marks," she mewed, looking at the four clean teeth marks. The cat had used four teeth to bite the leaf off, but instead of using its four front teeth, it looked like it had been bitten off from the side.

"We don't need to," Flintpaw mewed, circling around the lavender patch, "Just ThunderClan cats."

Fallstripe had been prepared for that, the suspicion had been growing in her mind, but it still stole her breath to hear it said. "We can't know for sure…" she trailed off weakly as Flintpaw gave her an uncharacteristically harsh look.

"The only scent here is ThunderClan. But we're outside of ThunderClan's borders. And don't tell me there aren't lavender patches inside the border. I've been listening to what the warriors have been saying, only cats from ShadowClan, WindClan, and ThunderClan have been killed, meaning the cat probably lives on this side of the lake. ThunderClan is in the middle, making it the most likely position. And with all the evidence tonight, all facts point toward it being a ThunderClan cat."

"Well," Fallstripe drew herself up and glared at the apprentice, annoyed at how he was lecturing her about things she'd figured out long ago, "How do I know you're not the one then? You show up mysteriously out of nowhere this past moon and claim to have a connection to the Clan. And then it was you who attacked Rabbitear for no reason earlier today. Not to mention you were following me even though you were ordered to stay in the camp," she spat her misgivings about him, her hackles raising. She'd always had a bad feeling about this Flint cat, but somehow, she couldn't seriously convince herself he was murderer.

"How do I know it's not you?" he returned, "You sneak off all the time, no cat seems to notice it, and you're unreasonably secretive about yourself. Asides from your name and family, I still don't know anything at all about you," Flintpaw shot back, but his eyes weren't hostile.

"Besides," he shook his head, motioning her over to him, "We can easily prove that we're both innocent," he mewed, picking a holly leaf off a bush and biting into it, and then comparing it to the leaf stems of the lavender plants.

Fallstripe growled but went along, picking off a leaf and biting into it, ignoring the bitter and waxy texture of the holly leaf. She held it up by the claw next to Flintpaw's and the lavender stem. In the glint of moonlight, Flintpaw's bite was wider and thicker than the stem, while Fallstripe's was smaller and sharper than the bitemark on the stems

"So that also helps confirm that he's bigger than you but smaller than me," Flintpaw mewed happily.

"So, we can rule out any cat your size or bigger and any cat my size or smaller," Fallstripe mused, knowing that still left quite a few possibilities. "And we can rule out any cat who we know was in camp this afternoon," she added after a moment, "since the murder took place mid-afternoon, according to Thorn."

"Thorn?" Flintpaw's ears went up and Fallstripe cursed herself for slipping up, raising her hazel eyes in annoyance to Flintpaw's wide blue ones.

"Don't worry about it, and don't mention this to anyone," she growled, glaring at him with her tail lashing behind her. "You weren't supposed to get involved, so just pretend this never happened."

Flintpaw's eyes flashed, "So I'm just supposed to sit back while this murderer threatens his own Clan? My own Clan?" he growled, determination coursing through every hair on his pelt as he took a stance before her. "Let me help you more, we can get this cat faster if we work together. I know you've been working on this for a while, and tonight we found more clues together than you did working alone since before I got here!"

Fallstripe growled, "How did you know that? No one knows this is my mission."

Flintpaw twitched his tail, "It's not hard to put things together," he snorted. "It was suspicious that the Clan kept talking about this murderer, but no cat was out doing anything. Asides from just after a cat is killed, there hasn't been any real investigation. And then there was you, slipping in and out when no cat was looking, barely sleeping at night and eating once a day. You were assigned to a minimum number of patrols, and yet you were out of camp most of the time," Flintpaw took a breath and Fallstripe was mute, wondering if she was really that obvious. If every cat knew, then she wasn't the spy she'd prided herself on being.

Flintpaw continued, "I asked Sootfur and he said you had extra training, since you're not that great at fighting. It's a good cover story, no cat would look into it out of respect for you, or your father, either way, every cat turned a blind eye to you, but it was obvious to me from your little rendezvous with our dear deputy that you weren't just reporting your training. I suspected, and tonight I decided to confirm it."

"Don't tell anyone else, please," Fallstripe broke in miserably. She looked at him in despair, he'd figured her out so easily and then he'd found far more clues in one night than she ever had. Heck, she couldn't hardly follow the clues he'd found, but they'd led her to something solid. And now her pride was broken, this outsider was a better tracker than her, a well-trained warrior who was apparently no good.

"This job is all I have," she mewed, unable to contain the misery as she looked up at Flintpaw imploringly. "I can't fight, I'm not especially good at hunting. This job, this mission, is the only way I can truly serve my Clan," she cried, hot frustration rising in her. "I'm the deputy's daughter, and yet I always fall short!" her words grew louder.

Flintpaw opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off, taking a few angry steps toward him so that they were muzzle to muzzle. Flintpaw's eyes were wide and alarmed and Fallstripe was trembling from the effort of keeping it together, "You said it yourself, you found more clues in one night than I have in the past three moons! I couldn't find a scent or a trace no matter how hard I looked. And you found a trail where I could find nothing! You're an outsider! You haven't had nearly as much training as I have, you were a rogue, and yet you're still better than me," she cried, "So don't you dare say anything!" she shouted, her breath coming on hot breaths as she whirled around and raced as fast as her thin legs would carry her back to ThunderClan territory.

Her throat was tight as the dark shadows of the trees blurred into one massively dark landscape at the edges of her vision. The cold air burned her throat, but her head felt hot and heavy as she tried to think. Humiliation was her strongest emotion, and she stumbled to a halt near the camp, pressing herself to the dark side of a maple tree, her skinny side scratching the cool, rough bark.

She could hear distant murmurs and chattering and with the fresh ThunderClan scent, she could guess the cats had just returned and she flopped down on the frosty leaf-strewn forest floor, waiting for the noise to die down before she dared enter the camp.

She growled at herself in the dark, with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company, she replayed that night's surprises over and over again. It had been the most successful night she'd ever had for this mission, and yet she was more miserable than ever.

She scrunched her eyes tight in physical pain as she recalled pouring her pathetic feelings out to Flintpaw. He must have thought she was a jealous egomaniac whose pride had been hurt by his help. No doubt he'd go straight to Boulderstar and tell him what had happened, and then the whole Clan would know that she was a failure and he was a hero.

But at least the killer would be caught. All the cats who were suspects would be forced in the presence of everyone to bite into a leaf, and they'd be caught. _I guess my pride is a small price to pay._


	6. Chapter 6

The day after the gathering was filled with miserable waiting for Fallstripe. The Clan had much to tell her about the gathering. As she's expected, WindClan had once again brought up the issue of the murderer, although they did not mention Rabbitear's death. With renewed vigor, they had accused ThunderClan of allowing a murderer to hide out in their territory, insinuating that they thought the murderer was from their Clan.

Her Clan-mates, of course, were adamant that their accusation meant the killer was from WindClan. Fallstripe heard plenty as she dragged her tired paws around on Dawn Patrol, while she could barely stay awake, she would have had to be deaf to not hear Berryfur's expressive opinions, and she fell behind the patrol to give her ears some rest.

Usually she was eager to hear what her Clan-mates were saying, interested in learning all she could so that she could have an advantage in any spy work she was given. But this morning, she felt sick to her stomach and her heart felt like it was going to explode in her chest, even though it was a routine patrol.

_WindClan and ShadowClan were right, the murderer is from ThunderClan. And Flintpaw knows it too. He's sure to tell Boulderstar, and by the end of the day the murderer will have been caught. The Clan will be safe, but I will have failed, letting an outsider do my job._

She kicked herself, frustrated and cross with herself. She should have gone straight to Boulderstar and Coalspark and told them what she had learned. But she hadn't. Because she couldn't own up to the fact that Flintpaw had done more in one night than she had done in three moons. She'd rather Flintpaw have all the credit rather than share it with him.

"Fallstripe, keep up!" Ravenwing snapped, the senior she-cat's amber eyes were sparking testily as she glared back at her. Fallstripe pinned her ears back apologetically and caught up to the patrol that had gotten several fox-lengths ahead of her, remaining mute as Berryfur gave her a curious glance and Mallowpelt frowned in confusion.

"Unlike you, Berryfur went to the gathering last night, so I'm sure she's even more tired than you are. Come on, I don't think you're on another patrol until after sun-high, stay alert until the end of the patrol and then rest," Ravenwing mewed with a frown, her amber eyes raking over her with a hint of concern.

Fallstripe felt a flush of embarrassment at the worried and confused stares her Clan-mates gave her and gratitude for their concern battled with the helplessness of her own position. "I'm sorry," she mewed quietly, falling back in line as Ravenwing gave her slow nod and continued leading the patrol back toward camp.

Her own selfishness gnawed at her as she stared miserably at the backs of the heads of her Clan-mates. She had the knowledge necessary to catch the killer, but she wouldn't do it, because as it stood now, she had not fulfilled her mission.

Dulled by her own depressed thoughts, she fell to listening to Berryfur's continued chatter. "WindClan needs to calm down, there's no way the murderer is hiding in our territory. Blaming us out of the blue like that, when the last cat to be killed was ThunderClan, what nerve!" the cream she-cat lashed her tail angrily.

Fallstripe twitched her ears, _WindClan must have been trying to get us to say something. Since they didn't say anything about Rabbitear, they were probably trying to provoke us into saying something about it and catch us as the murderer that way. But if the murderer was at the gathering, they were too smart to fall for that._

And now her thoughts turned back to an even more unpleasant thought than her own failure. The murderer was one of her Clan-mates, a cat she had known her whole life, no doubt. But when she tried to think of someone in the Clan who was unhappy, dissatisfied, or ambitious, she couldn't think of anyone. _And I know it's not Flintpaw, or any cat larger than him… so it isn't Coalspark or Gorsewhisker… And it's not me, or any cat smaller than me… so it isn't Sootfall, Scorch, Dovesong, or the apprentices… That still leaves most of the Clan. And pretty much every cat last evening was going in or out of the camp… though I saw Mallowpelt and Lightpool were busy in camp all evening, so they have an alibi._

But that still left so many cats unaccounted for, including all her littermates and own mother, how could she seriously suspect them? And then there were her former mentor and her littermates former mentors, whom she'd spent so much time with. Then there was Berryfur who, although acted like there was only fluff between her ears, was really a kind-hearted warrior who had helped her when she was struggling more than once. There was Sagelight who was like a second mother to her, and Ravenwing, who was a calm and able leader when both the leader and deputy were absent.

There was Smokeclaw and Stoneheart, Boulderstar's sons, two rock-solid warriors who supported their Clan with all their strength. There was Snowheart and Spottedwing, two young warriors whose budding relationship pleased every cat in the Clan. Then there was Crowflight and Brambletail, two young warriors who were both strong, fair, and made excellent mentors for their apprentices. And then there was their leader, who led the Clan with wisdom and courage. He'd been a hero to Fallstripe all her life, in fact, all these cats were well-respected warriors. How could anyone of them be the culprit? And yet, the facts all pointed to one of them being the murderer. What could possibly be the motive for this grave crime?

But the more she thought, the more she couldn't accept it and when she had reached camp she turned away from the fresh-kill pile, her belly knotted from worry, and flopped down on some rocks at the bottom of the rock-pile, trying to warm herself as she forced herself to relax. It was out of her paws now, she may as well give herself over to a peaceful slumber.

* * *

"Sorry Fallstripe, but I need you to wake up," the black she-cat angrily swatted aimlessly with a grunt as a force tugged on her ear. She peeked open one eye to see Flintpaw tugging at her ear with his teeth.

"Stop that," she grumbled groggily, rolling onto her paws and rubbing her ear with a paw, looking at him offendedly. "Well," she grumbled, looking away when Flintpaw didn't say anything, "Did you tell them?" feeling heat in her face from the humiliation.

"No."

Fallstripe whipped her head around to look at him, wide eyed, "Why not?" she hissed angrily, lowering her voice as some nearby warriors shot them a curious look.

Flintpaw shifted his weight from paw to paw and looked around, uncharacteristically nervous, "Maybe we should talk outside of camp," he mewed in a deep voice and Fallstripe didn't miss the secrecy in his expression. _He doesn't trust his Clan-mates… what kind of warrior is he?_ She felt furious that he would dare suspect their Clan-mates, but she knew he didn't have the same relationship that she had with them. And given what they had just learned, he was more objective than her.

"Okay," she relented with a growl, following him out of the camp and ignoring the glittering look her sister was giving her. She tried to send a look back saying ' _it's not what you think_ ' but Ivysong was already whispering with Sootfur, casting glowing glances in their direction.

She was relived to get away from the curious stares of her Clan-mates and into the frosty, cool forest. She relaxed, feeling the shadows slip over her pelt, hiding her in their dark embrace and she closed her eyes to take a deep breath, calming her nerves and preparing herself for what she was sure this conversation would hold. _He wants something in return for not telling Boulderstar._

She scrutinized Flintpaw's back as he led her through the forest, off the path and vaguely in the direction of the lake. The evening sun was turning orange as it crept closer to sunset and the temptingly warm rays of the sun glinted off the dust that filled the air in the half-frozen forest.

Flintpaw walked confidently, not trying to hide his presence, but given the faint cat scent, there were no other cats in the area. To Fallstripe, he looked deep in thought, barely even seeing the forest around him. But he stopped and whipped around to face her so suddenly she slipped back on her haunches to avoid bumping into him, her heart jumping at the sudden flare in his gaze.

"I want to help you catch the killer," Flintpaw mewed, his dark eyes staring intensely into hers. He was so close she could feel his warm breath on her face and her gaze was locked on his and she felt herself struggling to escape the dark potency of his gaze.

"But… but we already found out how to find the killer. All we have to tell is Boulderstar and we can catch the killer by midnight tonight," Fallstripe mewed weakly, finding her voice weak in the face of his fervent passion.

"I was thinking about that, and I don't know if we'll be able to pinpoint it down to one cat, given how similar the bites of some cats may be, especially since much of the Clan is related to each other. And after talking with a few cats, I don't think a guess is going to bring these cats to turn against their friends or families. I think it's for the best if we catch the killer ourselves and then tell the Clan," Flintpaw mewed, dark eyes wide and imploring.

Fallstripe pinned her ears back, "Why? So that more cats can be killed? We have to tell Boulderstar what we know as soon as possible!"

"Then why didn't you already tell him?" Flintpaw asked, giving her a blunt look.

"That is, well, it's like," Fallstripe stuttered, looking away and feeling her ears burn. "You were the one who figured out all that stuff last night," she muttered.

Flintpaw frowned, "But I never would have found it if you hadn't led me to that place. I barely even had an idea that this was going on until today. Don't you see? We did that together, you with your knowledge about what's going on, and me with my tracking skills from the mountains."

Fallstripe's ears pricked, "The mountains?"

Flintpaw nodded, eyes glowing with a strange look of pleasure, "Where I was born, the mountains, we have to rely much more on sight than smell there because scents don't stick on rocks or water. This means I'm used to tracking without scents, and the killer was careful to hide their scent, I couldn't even smell cat scent."

 _So that's why he was able to track the cat so easily… I admit I feel a little better._ Fallstripe relaxed a little, "Okay, so tracking the killer was well suited to your skill set. But tracking the killer after he's already gone isn't going to help any cat, so we should tell Boulderstar," she mewed, trying to convince herself as much as Flintpaw.

Flintpaw laid back his ears, "I won't stop you, and I already gave my reasons for why we shouldn't. But if you tell Boulderstar I'm sure that at least one more cat will die, because the killer will try to take as many out with him as he can."

"You don't know that," Fallstripe spat, furious that any of her Clan-mates would do such a thing, _of course, one of my Clan-mates has been killing cats._

Flintpaw didn't respond but looked at her darkly, "If you want to tell Boulderstar, tell him, if not, I have a plan for catching the killer." Flintpaw mewed and he turned and walked off, leaving Fallstripe with an irritably twitching tail, _better catch some prey before I head back to camp._

* * *

With two mice dangling by their tails from her jaws, Fallstripe headed back to camp in a foul mood. Flintpaw wasn't going to tell Boulderstar, instead he was going to try to take over her mission. She knew she had no choice but to either tell Boulderstar all that she knew or else join up with Flintpaw, it would be the ultimate humiliation if the rogue apprentice succeeded where she had failed and do it without her.

The shadows were long, and a few coldly twinkling stars had appeared in Silverpelt while the milky white of the moon hung about the top of bare treetops. Fallstripe paused long enough to lose herself in the brilliant shards of distant light, _StarClan, please, I don't know what to do anymore,_ she prayed tiredly, feeling weariness ebb at her mind, begging her to give in to apathy.

A familiar and unwelcome sensation of inadequacy swarmed her, it seemed there was nothing she could do on her own. Always having to be helped, always relying on others, never measuring up. She could never be a leader, never be like those she admired so much; Boulderstar, Scorch, Ivysong, Sootfur, her father, or even Flintpaw.

 _To be envious of a rogue,_ Fallstripe scoffed at herself, kicking at a crisp pile of leaves and watching them shift along the forest floor absentmindedly. What would her father think of her if he knew she thought such a thing? _He'd be even more embarrassed to have me as a daughter, he's already bent over backward trying to make me important to the Clan, and I went along because I thought I could be._

Memories flashed in her mind, of when she was a kit, watching with wide eyes from the shadows of the nursery as the bigger kits viciously bit and clawed at each other, competing for a half-torn old ball of moss—instead of joining in, Rainstone told her fantastic stories about times long before she was born.

When she was an apprentice, she had to sit out and watch sparring matches because she had fallen so far behind the others that it would have slowed them down if she had joined in. Sootfur had to work with her long after the other apprentices went to sleep just so that she could keep up with them—he had never once grumbled about the long days or how it took her longer than the others to learn a new fighting move or hunting technique.

When she was made a warrior with her littermates, no one complained that it had taken an extra half moon for her to successfully complete the final assessment, all her littermates had patiently waited for her to catch up before they started walking ahead again.

And now, her stomach was in knots because once again she had been left behind, by Flintpaw, by her fellow Clan-mates, and everyone else she knew. Except this was worse, because she had chosen not to follow them on their warriors' path, she had followed the path her father had given her and now that she was lost, there was nowhere to go.

When she eventually reached camp, she had managed to regain her composure, even though it seemed she was incredibly exhausted so that she stumbled over a rock as she went to deposit her offerings on the fresh-kill pile.

The camp clearing was mostly empty, with most cats taking an early retirement to their nests to escape the cold. Fallstripe was about to join them, eager to spend a night sound asleep for once, when a familiar voice carried over to her.

"Come join us, Fallstripe!" Ivysong was signaling to her wildly from where she was sitting with Sootfur and Flintpaw, who looked a little disgruntled and when their eyes met, he looked away quickly.

Fallstripe reluctantly snagged a tiny shrew off the fresh-kill pile and went to join them, knowing her sister would drag her out of her nest by the tail if she ignored her. The last thing she wanted right now was to stare at her frozen paws only a tail-length away from Flintpaw while Ivysong and Sootfur chatted away like love-struck songbirds.

"Fallstripe, I haven't talked to you all day! What have you been up to?" Ivysong asked, her eyes gleaming mischievously as she glanced from Fallstripe to Flintpaw.

"Patrols and other warrior stuff," Fallstripe took a small nibble of her shrew, hoping that Ivysong would carry the conversation like she usually did. But tonight, the she-cat's blue eyes were glowing with a different light as she shared knowing glances with Sootfur and gave meaningful gestures between her reserved sister and the oddly quiet Flintpaw that refused to look at each other even though they were sitting across from each other.

"You know, Fallstripe, Sootfur and I have been meaning to tell you something and – oh, Flintpaw, you don't need to leave!" The white she-cat exclaimed as the large apprentice moved to get up from his spot.

"I don't want to intrude," he mewed politely, his dark eyes round and innocent as he looked at the three cats. Fallstriped scoffed to herself, so he does have a sneaky side. _He's just trying to get out of this awkwardness but he's making it look like he's doing us a favor!_ Despite herself, Fallstripe felt impressed by his craftiness since he didn't seem like the type to be deceitful.

"Oh no, it's nothing personal," Ivysong purred, her blue eyes soft with such a gentle tenderness that Fallstripe straitened, wiping the last bits of her miniature meal away from her whiskers. The strange euphoric atmosphere which had come over the little group compelled Flintpaw to sit back down and wait in pleasant silence for Ivysong to continue.

"You see," she she-cat began hesitantly, giving Sootfur a shy glance which he returned with one so full of love that despite the contending feeling that had suddenly come over her as she anticipated something wonderful, in the pit of her stomach she felt the knot twist and she had to close her eyes, letting the soft blackness unwind the knot as fast as possible, leaving her cold as stone.

Sootfur took over and mewed, "I'm sure the whispers have reached your curious ears," he purred to Flintpaw, "And nothing slips past you, Fallstripe, my former apprentice, I'm sure the two of you are aware that Ivysong and I are mates."

Flintpaw nodded, his eyes glazed as if he was seeing something else as he looked at Ivysong's mirthful face. "And now I'm expecting his kits," Ivysong mewed, her voice like a warm breath on a cold face and Fallstripe felt a surge of emotion unlike any she had ever had.

Purring so hard she was trembling, Fallstripe threw herself at her sister, touching noses and stifling her sobs as she licked her sister's face tenderly. "I'm so happy for you," she managed to choke out as Ivysong returned her nuzzles and licks with warm gratitude.

"I knew you would be, that's why I wanted to tell you first," Ivysong mewed, looking at her fondly as she stood and moved to Sootfur's side, leaning into the dark tom who met her eyes with a friendly warmth and Fallstripe returned the look, but her mouth was dry.

"We're going to tell our parents next, and I'm sure the news will spread from there," Ivysong mewed, she and Sootfur headed over to the base of the rockpile where Coalspark was in deep discussion with Gorsewhisker.

Fallstripe and Flintpaw watched in silence, still mesmerized. A pang of envy shook the small black she-cat as she watched her father – who never had time to listen to her – immediately leave Gorsewhisker to give his other daughter his full attention. Coalspark's expression never changed, but distant words of congratulations and pleasure reached Fallstripe's ears, burning her ears. The words she longed to hear were given so freely to another and she was ashamed of her own jealousy.

"I think I'm going to sleep now," she murmured, not giving Flintpaw a proper goodnight and when she had nearly reached the warriors den she turned to look over her shoulder and saw Flintpaw still with his eyes glued to Ivysong, a thoughtful look and a look of longing vying for dominance on his face as Fallstripe disappeared into the darkness. Despite her shocked emotions over Ivysong's news, it was Flintpaw's face that stayed in her troubled mind as she drifted off into a cold and dreamless sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

When Fallstripe awoke the next morning, a brisk wind and heavily overcast sky greeted her as she exited the warriors' den. Squinting her eyes and fluffing up her short fur against the chilling breeze, she stumbled toward the group of warriors who surrounded Coalspark at the base of highledge, awaiting their daily tasks.

She gave a yawn, still half asleep, and sat down, using a hind paw to scratch beneath her ear then stood up, a little more awake as she listened attentively to the deputy. "Mallowpelt, take Lightpool, Darkleap, and Cloudpaw and go hunt along the WindClan border. Make sure you don't get too close to the border, but close enough that WindClan will see we are present at all times," the large deputy's voice rose above the chatter between the cats and the specified cats started gathering at the camp's exit.

"Next, Sootfall, take two or three cats and hunt by the sycamore. We've had reports of fox scent in that area, though nothing to suggest it has made a den in the area. But keep your guard up. Sagelight, you'll lead the sun-high patrol, take Smokeclaw, Flintpaw, and Duskleap with you, the four of you can rest until then though-" Coalspark frowned, "I don't see Flintpaw, Smokeclaw, have him tend to the elders until it's time to leave, the rest of you should see Rainfall and Gorsewhisker, who are in charge of leaf-bare preparations."

Sootfall quickly picked Spottedwing, Crowflight, and Sootfur and led the trio out of camp, leaving the camp right behind Mallowpelt's patrol, the young gray tom seemed unusually serious as he solemnly gave orders to his patrol and Fallstripe saw Cloudpaw make a joke to Lightpool about her mentor as the pale tabby curled her tail in amusement.

Fallstripe's tail flicked in annoyance, she would much rather be out in the forest hunting or patrolling instead of reinforcing dens and collecting herbs. The problem was, she was one of the most skilled at these tasks, so she was always stuck on these teams every season.

Looking around the dimly lit camp, she watched Smokeclaw berating a sleepy-eyed Flintpaw outside the apprentice's den while Tallpaw looked on with a snicker. Turning her back abruptly when Flintpaw met her gaze, she bounded across the clearing to the nursery where Gorsewhisker and Rainfall were organizing cats.

"I don't know why Coalspark didn't appoint more cats to a hunting patrol, we need as much food as possible before leaf-bare, and with so many cats working in the camp, nothing will get done," Rainfall grumbled, apparently in an ill-humor as he looked over the crowd of cats, his green eyes growing more unpleasant.

"It's better to not overhunt since prey can't be stored for very long until the snow comes anyways," Gorsewhisker mewed, "Let's just concentrate on our work."

Fallstripe slipped over to Ivysong's side near the back of the group, "Rainfall's in a bad mood today," she mewed, pressing against her sister's longer fur for warmth.

Ivysong purred, "He's always in a bad mood these days, ever since Rainstone died really," the she-cat sighed, "I wish he wasn't the one who will deliver my kits."

"He's still a good medicine-cat, all the cats say he's exceptional for his young age," a voice interrupted them sternly and Fallstripe and Ivysong both shrunk back under Stoneheart's reproachful yellow gaze. "He's been through a lot and has been on his own for far longer than most medicine-cats, he deserves a bit of sympathy."

The two she-cats mewed quiet apologies and skirted the group to the other side closer to Gorsewhisker, "Perfect timing," the golden-brown tom's brown eyes lit up upon them, "Ivysong, I'm sure you'll want to help with the nursery," he mewed, and the white she-cat purred in response. "Okay, and then Fallstripe, I need you to start working on the elders' den, Tallpaw will help you to start and as we finish other dens, I'll send more cats to help you."

 _I always end up working alone, or almost all alone,_ she thought discontentedly. And working alone made her think of her mission, _but it doesn't matter, I'll tell Boulderstar and Coalspark everything tonight and we'll catch the killer._ She thought, pushing the objections Flintpaw had given her out of her mind.

"Good luck, let's meet up at sun-high for a meal and to see who's made the most progress!" Ivysong mewed cheerily and Fallstripe felt a wave of gratitude for her sister and she gave her a friendly look.

"It's a deal," she purred and she watched Ivysong go join Dappledleaf and the queen Dovesong to work on the nursery. "Come on Tallpaw, let's get started," she mewed as the lanky gray tom joined her.

"Sure," he mewed, looking at her with curious blue eyes. "I don't think I've ever seen you spend a whole day in camp before," he mewed as they crossed the clearing.

"I like to be out in the forest, but with leaf-bare coming I'll probably be staying in the camp more," Fallstripe answered uncomfortably. Tallpaw had been made an apprentice around the time she became a warrior and at one time they'd been pretty good friends, but ever since she'd started her 'missions' for Coalspark she wasn't sure they'd even shared a meal. Since most of the little time she was in camp she spent with her littermates and their groups of friends. _I've missed out on so much and for what? I'm useless._

This mission had turned into a thorn in her side, and even though it would hurt, she was anxious to pull it out and give it to someone else. But she feared the wound was infected and it would not be so easily removed.

"Alright, Tallpaw," Fallstripe mewed, inspecting the outside of the elders' den. "If you want to start gathering materials, I'll start pulling out the patches that need to be replaced," she mewed, tugging gently on a shriveled honeysuckle branch.

"What should I gather?" Tallpaw asked, bright eyes fixated on her.

"Gorse is good and sturdy, and if you find some fallen pine branches those help insulate well," Fallstripe mewed, looking at the den that seemed draftier than usual with the end of leaf-fall coming. "Ivy is good too, but it's probably all withered by now," she murmured.

"Alright, how about brambles instead than?" Tallpaw asked, turning to leave.

"Sounds good, but don't take too long, I'll need your help with some spots," Fallstripe mewed, pausing long enough to watch the apprentice trot cheerily through the gorse exit. Flicking her silver ears, she refocused on her work and began tearing out the crumbling parts of the den.

She hissed as she stabbed her paw on a thorn and wrenched it out along with the problematic tendril, sending the entire den shivering. "Hey, hey, hey, what's going on?" Flintpaw poked his head out, eyes wide in alarm. "Oh, it's you," he mewed, dark eyes returning to a stony look.

Fallstripe's fur fluffed up along her spine, "Yeah, just me, I'm fixing the den, so it won't be so drafty," she mewed curtly, looking away back toward her work and tearing out a broken briar branch hard enough for the den to sway.

Flintpaw flattened his ears, "Well, be careful, I'm trying to groom the elders and you're sending bits of twigs and dirt right down on them!"

"Tell her that if she does it again, I'll claw her eyes out! And if you don't finish your job, I'll do the same to you," a cantankerous old voice growled from inside the den and Fallstripe and Flintpaw shared a look.

"Maybe it'd be better if I worked from inside," Fallstripe mewed quietly, following Flintpaw into the den that was better lit with the holes in the den that she had created.

"What's the big idea? Trying to bury us alive?" Wispheart glared at her, shaking off bits of debris from her thin gray pelt, "And now my nest is all dirty," she grumbled, shifting uncomfortably in her nest.

"I was going to get you fresh moss anyways," Flintpaw mewed soothingly, helping the old she-cat pick the bits of twigs from her pelt.

"It's beyond me how Spiritstorm can sleep through all this," Wispheart grumbled, looking at her sister through half-opened eyes.

Needlepine purred from his nest, "She could sleep through an enemy invasion."

Wispheart snorted but closed her own eyes as Flintpaw continued grooming through her fur. Fallstripe quietly resumed her work, being careful when working over the elders so that the worst of the debris fell on herself.

"Are you getting the den ready for leaf-bare?" Needlepine asked after a spell of silence.

Fallstripe nodded, glancing quickly at the red furred tom, his green eyes nearly identical to his grandkit, Rainfall. "Now Flintpaw, you were telling me last time about where you're from, you said from the mountains?" the older tom turned toward the apprentice.

Flintpaw purred, "Yep, that's right. I was born and lived there most of my life, but my mom said my father was from ThunderClan, and that's why I'm here."

"Who was your mother? What was her name and what did she look like?" Needlepine asked with gentle curiosity, his green eyes shaded as if he were thinking deeply about something.

"Oh, well," Flintpaw's fur prickled, "She looked normal, about average, you know, gray fur and blue eyes. She was strong though, the strongest cat I knew, she took a new mate and had more kits, I loved seeing her happy because she wasn't happy for a long time. I wish she could have come with me, but she couldn't leave our family," he mewed, finishing up Wispheart and using his paws to gather some of the fallen twigs into a small pile by the entrance.

"So, do you really think your father is in this Clan? Do you know who?" Needlepine asked, ignoring the warning looks Wispheart was giving him.

"Well, I have an idea, but I don't think it matters, he doesn't seem to want anything to do with me. I haven't even been given a chance to ask him," Needlepine sighed, "But I do want to, someday."

Fallstripe's belly twisted, she didn't want to acknowledge who Flintpaw's father was. She didn't even want to consider the possibility. Could he really have broken the warrior code and fallen in love with a rogue? Misery swamped her, and her vision darkened for a heartbeat.

"How about littermates? They can be some of your best friends, right, Fallstripe?" Needlepine asked, looking at her kindly.

"Oh, yeah," Fallstripe purred.

"You must be really happy for Ivsyong," he added.

"Of course!" she answered immediately, but then turned quickly back to her work, feeling a twist in her stomach.

"I still think about my sister sometimes, even though she's in another Clan, I like seeing her at the gathering. It's strange how things ended up, but I wouldn't change a thing," he mewed, stretching his front left leg and letting it hang out of the nest.

"Why didn't you go back to your Clan when you returned to the Clans?" Flintpaw asked, he must have heard how Needlepine and the rogue Rainstone had run away from the Clans and then returned long after Scorch had helped save the Clans.

"Well, the only reason we returned was because we heard Scorch was alive and after meeting a traveler, we decided not to waste any more time," Needlepine continued, a sparkle in his eye as he gave Flintpaw a glance. "The traveler was forced out of her home while expecting kits and had to leave all her family and loved ones behind, so we realized that if this young cat had the courage to leave everything she knew and loved then we had the courage to go look for everything we knew and loved."

Fallstripe had stopped her work and was looking at Needlepine, heart full of sympathy. She could see Rainstone's face in her mind, the kind old she-cat had given her all the extra love and support that she'd needed to become a warrior and it struck her that at one time, Rainstone once needed help from such a young cat.

"I hope that young cat is doing alright," she murmured, looking wonderingly up at the sky through the holes in the den.

"Oh, I don't think you need to worry," Needlepine mewed, licking a paw and drawing it over his ear, "She seemed very capable. You know, now that I think about it… she looked a lot like Rainstone," he added, a twinkle in his green eyes. "Not quite as small, but with a dark blue-gray coat and dark, dark blue eyes, kind of like yours, Flintpaw, and you know, I think her kits would have been about your age…" the elder trailed off as he laid his head down and closed his eyes.

Flintpaw and Fallstripe exchanged a wondering glance, both curious about this strange, wandering she-cat. But their thoughts were different, Flintpaw pondered over this Rainstone he'd never met and how similar she was to the wandering cat while Fallstripe wondered who what had driven this she-cat to wander about alone and where she was now. _She had the courage to leave everything, I can only imagine it'd be difficult, I wonder… if I'd have the same strength.  
_

* * *

The rest of the morning passed quickly. As soon as Tallpaw returned with the materials, Fallstripe began patching up the holes, making them twice as thick as they had been before and working with the apprentice was pleasant, he talked a lot about how he was getting ready for his final assessment, a moon from now he hoped to be a warrior. His polite and easygoing attitude was a welcome reprieve from the kind of stubbornness she faced with many other cats in the Clan.

Flintpaw joined them when he had finished taking care of the elders, but Fallstripe realized as soon as he started trying to patch a hole that he'd never done something like this before. All he ended up doing was getting his paws wrapped up and making the hole worse, "I guess it's not as easy as it looks," he mewed sheepishly as she untangled him and instructed him to just fetch more materials for her and Tallpaw. The air between them still felt stale and Falllstripe avoided talking to him, feeling uneasy about their opposing views towards the matter of her mission.

"Can we stop for sun-high now?" Tallpaw complained and Fallstripe looked up to see that the sun was high overhead, a pale circle behind the curtain of clouds.

"I have to go on patrol now anyways," Flintpaw added, dropping one last load of gorse branches, "But you two should be able to finish with all that I gathered," he mewed, nodding at the thick pile of branches and vines.

"Yes, thank you, Tallpaw, Flintpaw," Fallstripe mewed, nodding politely at Tallpaw as he raced over to the fresh-kill pile and picked up a mouse before heading over to Cloudpaw who was already eating alone by the apprentices' den.

"Fallstripe," the stern voice brought the black she-cat's attention back to the apprentice in front of her. "I really want you to reconsider your plans," Flintpaw's dark blue eyes bored into hers and stepped toward her, so that his dark pelt blocked her view from the rest of the camp.

"No!" she glowered at him, "Even if we can't find the killer as easily as we think, we can at least make the Clan aware that the killer is in our midst, and maybe some other cat has a hint at who it is!"

"And then every cat starts blaming each other, determined that the killer is this or that cat. The Clan will tear itself apart!"

"At least they're know the danger is there!"

"Telling the Clan would be a bigger danger than the killer!" Flintpaw shot back, glaring right back at her. "Let's catch the killer with indisputable evidence, we can do it and it may be hard, and even a little dangerous but at least there won't be any doubt about it and no innocents will be caught in the crosshairs."

"Unless the killer strikes first," Fallstripe growled, pushing past him, "You're not going to change my mind," she shot one last glare, her throat thick with anger. She had thought herself sick over this, she wasn't backing down now! _I'll be courageous, like that she-cat._

She wandered aimlessly for a few steps, lost in her anger, and when she noticed her surroundings again, she spotted Ivysong signaling to her from where she sat beside Lightpool and Berryfur.

She started toward her sister instinctively but slowed as she noticed her companions. She didn't have a problem with Berryfur, she even liked her in general, but the she-cat tended to talk without thinking. And as for Lightpool, the pale tabby she-cat had always looked down on her and scoffed at her lack of skills when compared to her littermates.

"That looked like quite the heated conversation with Flintpaw!" Berryfur purred as she joined the three, she-cats.

"You've been having lots of those lately," Ivysong added with a purr, "Wouldn't it be great if we were both in the nursery together?" she added in a not-so-subtle way.

"But don't neglect your warrior duties," the tabby chimed in, narrowing her eyes sternly and Fallstripe felt a twitch of irritation.

"It's not like that at all, we aren't even friends, he's annoying," she growled, looking away grumpily as she sat opposite Ivysong.

"That's how it always starts," Berryfur sighed dreamily, leaning against her side and batting her rich amber eyes up at her.

Fallstripe snorted and pushed the cream she-cat off her, whiskers twitching in amusement. "I don't think so, but how's it going between you and Mallowpelt?" she asked.

"Oh well, you know," Berryfur sat up straight, at an unusual loss of words. The cream she-cat's recent strolls with the tom hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Anyways," Lightpool cut in, rescuing the embarrassed she-cat from the amused looks of the others. "I'm sure you'll be a great mother, Ivysong," the tabby she-cat mewed with feeling, her green eyes straying to the white queen's slightly rounded belly, as if she'd been eating well for a few days.

"Thanks, and I've got a lot of cats to support me. My mother and Dovesong and Rainfall and of course Sootfur."

"And Scorch," Fallstripe added, noticing the blind red and black she-cat talking to Dovesong outside the nursery. "She's kind of always been a second mother to the nursery kits since Rainstone died."

A tense silence met Fallstripe's words and the black she-cat looked at the three others, puzzled. "What's wrong with Scorch? She's a great cat, and Boulderstar's mate," she added, "I'm not close with her personally, but every cat respects her."

"It's not that we don't respect her exactly…" Lightpool mewed slowly with an awkward expression, refusing to look up from the ground.

"But we can't forget that she's not the best mother—and that's not surprising since she's blind, she had more limitations," Berryfur mewed.

"Come on, Fallstripe," Ivysong rolled her brilliant green eyes at her, "Scorch was mother to Jaypaw, I'd rather not have a kit who becomes a myth to scare naughty kits into being good."

Fallstripe flattened her ears, instantly embarrassed and uncomfortable, especially as she could see Rainfall glaring at them from besides the fresh-kill pile a couple tail-lengths away. "Okay, I get it—"

"I still can't believe that the leader allowed his own daughter to hurt the Clan, must have been soft on her," Ivysong continued, an annoyed look in her eyes, "And what about Rainfall?" she whispered, noticing he was watching them, "He's the medicine-cat, didn't StarClan warn him about his sister? He must not have been able to put his loyalty to the Clan first."

Ivysong had lowered her voice, but from the furious look on Rainfall's face, he'd clearly heard. "Honestly, if I had a kit like that, I wouldn't be able to live in this Clan any more, in fact I—"

"Okay, Ivysong, we get it," Lightpool hissed, "Jaypaw was terrible and you think her family is to blame, but let's not forget how much those cats still do for us. No cat has died from illness since Rainfall became medicine-cat and Scorch and Boulderstar saved the Clans from destruction, not to mention their other kits serve the Clan well."

The tabby's words shut Ivysong up and the white she-cat blinked apologetically at them, "Sorry, I just get mad about it, since now the other Clans think we must be the ones killing every cat," she muttered.

"Don't worry, we understand, but we don't need to bring up painful memories to any cat, we all know already," Berryfur mewed gently.

Fallstripe's intense feeling of uneasiness faded, but a quick glance showed a few warriors giving the group stern looks while Scorch chatted on happily with Dovesong, but with one ear cocked in their direction, she knew the tiny she-cat had heard them.

But what bothered her the most was Rainfall's dark look at them, he'd always disliked her and her littermates for whatever reason, but the look he'd given them had been so icy cold she shivered despite herself and hoped she wouldn't need to take a trip to the medicine-cat den anytime soon.

* * *

The rest of the day went quickly, after sun-high had passed the warriors all went about their duties again. Fallstripe spent the rest of her day in camp, fixing up dens, as she'd feared.

"Thanks for your help, Fallstripe," Gorsewhisker mewed, giving her a kind look, "You're one of the best at this, and I'm sure the elders will be grateful to have such a warm den this leaf-bare."

"Then Wispheart shouldn't have clawed my ear for accidentally stepping on her tail," the black she-cat grumbled, licking a paw and drawing it over her ear, feeling a slight sting where the scratch was.

"You should go see Rainfall about that, it's better to be safe than sorry," the senior warrior advised.

Fallstripe shook her head quickly, "I wouldn't want to bother him for something so small," she mewed, remembering his expression when Ivysong had been insulting Jaypaw and her family.

"Well, if it gets infected it won't be so small, just go, he'll probably put a balm on it and tell you it serves you right for bothering the elders," the golden warrior turned away from her, "Have a good night, Fallstripe."

"Thanks, you too," she responded, heading in the opposite direction of the medicine-cat den. The light was dimming as the sun set, but the sky remained overcast, a threatening gray and with a bone-chilling breeze shaking the bare branches of the forest, Fallstripe wouldn't be surprised if she woke up in the morning to a fresh coating of snow.

 _But now, I've got to find Boulderstar and tell him what I've learned about the murderer._ Her heart beating quickly in anticipation, she started toward the rockpile, intent on climbing up to the leader's den where she had seen the leader and deputy enter a closed conference with each other.

"Fallstripe, wait a moment!" a voice halted her as she reached the bottom of the rockpile and she turned to see Sootfur bounding across the clearing toward her from the warriors' den. She gave him an inquisitive look as she saw his sleek black fur was ruffled and he had an unnervingly nervous look in his eye and seemed out-of-breath. "Have you seen Ivysong?" he asked, kneading the frozen ground with his unsheathed claws.

Fallstripe frowned, "Not in a while, she had been helping with the nursery, but she finished that not long after sun-high… I don't know what she was doing after that, sorry…" she mewed quietly, feeling unusually depressed at the sight of him, but then a prick of worry worked its way along her spine, "Why? Is she not in camp?"

Sootfur shook his head, "I was looking for her to share our evening meal, as usual, but I can't find her anywhere. The only patrol still out is the dusk patrol, and I know she wasn't on that, and I know she wouldn't go on a walk this late and with the weather looking like this," the worried tom glanced up at the darkening gray sky, it had turned dark quickly and she could barely make out the other side of the clearing.

"I'm sure she's around somewhere, I'll help you look," she mewed, giving a glance up at high-ledge. _It'll have to wait, finding Ivysong is more important right now._ The uncomfortable knot in her belly came back as she started searching the camp. She wasn't in the nursery, or in the dirt-place. She wasn't visiting the elders or apprentices, and no cat had seen her. Sootfur had checked the warriors den several times and even gone up to the marigold hill that overlooked the camp to see if she was sitting there.

 _Only place left is the medicine-cat den, but Sootfur already checked that,_ she thought, heading behind the bramble screen. The den seemed empty, but as she pushed her way into the cave part of the den, she saw a dark shadow shuffling around the back. Taking a deep breath, she recognized Scorch.

"Is Rainfall not here?" she asked, her voice echoing in the empty space.

"Fallstripe?" The blind she-cat turned her dark green eyes on her, "No, he's out collecting herbs, he's worried it'll snow tonight so he went to get more catmint."

"Oh," Fallstripe lowered her gaze and shifted her paws.

"Is something wrong?" Scorch mewed gently, coming to greet her with a gentle look on her face.

"We can't find Ivysong anywhere, and no one even knows what task she was assigned to after she finished the nursery," she blurted out.

A strange, sorrowful look passed over Scorch's face, but it was gone in a heartbeat, replaced by a reassuring gaze, "Ivysong was helping Rainfall collect herbs, she should have been back a while ago though… I think she was collecting raspberry leaves and fennel by the WindClan border, near the outlet of the stream to the lake."

"Why isn't she back yet?" Fallstripe asked, eyes widening, _the WindClan border…._

Scorch shook her head, "Maybe she met up with the dusk patrol? I don't know for sure, but if you go out to look for her, don't go alone. The wind's picking up, even if it doesn't snow, you don't want to be alone on a night like this," the queen gave her another sad look for a heartbeat and Fallstripe felt a flush of embarrassment.

"About what Ivysong and us were saying at sun-high. I'm sorry, there's really no excuse for saying such terrible things about a dead cat we never knew and her family that serves the Clan so well," the black she-cat dipped her head low, feeling shame wash over her from head to her tail tip.

Scorch purred, "Well, it wasn't entirely undeserved, it probably is partly our fault that Jaypaw turned out the way she did, but sometimes no matter how much you love a cat, they still do things you can't understand, and I didn't understand her…," the black and red she-cat trailed off and her eyes grew foggy.

Fallstripe stared at her in confusion, but Sootfur's call for her broke her away from the quiet conversation, "Sorry to bother you, and thanks for your help, have a good night!" she called, rushing out of the den and nearly crashing into Sootfur.

"Sootfur! Scorch told me that Ivysong was collecting herbs for Rainfall along the WindClan border, I think we should go look for her, just in case," she mewed, watching as the dark tom gave a sigh of relief.

"Just knowing where she is reassures me, and if she's with Rainfall I'm not worried, since I saw he was coming back when I was looking around the camp."

"Err, but I don't think she's with Rainfall, they split up…" she trailed off as Sootfur's fur fluffed up again and he whipped around toward the entrance where Rainfall was reappearing with a mouth full of catmint.

"Where is Ivysong?" Sootfur demanded, skidding to a halt in front of the medicine-cat.

The gray tom dropped his herbs carefully at his paws and looked up slowly, blinking as he looked from Sootfur's worried expression to Fallstripe's. "I sent her out to collect herbs, she should have returned already…"

"You sent her out alone?!" Sootfur growled.

Rainfall remained calm in the face of the angry tom, "Ivysong is a capable warrior, she ought to be fine in her own territory. I didn't even send her in the direction of the reported fox traces, but where I knew other patrols would be around."

"Then why isn't she back yet?" Sootfur growled, kneading the ground with his paws, fur on end and eyes darting toward the entrance as if he were about to run out.

Rainfall shrugged and slowly bent down to pick up his thick pile of catmint, a satisfied expression on his face. "I'm ure he'll e 'ack oon," the medicine-cat's mew was muffled and, clearly unworried, he walked past them toward his den, waving his tail friendly at the sight of Dappledleaf, who immediately joined him.

"Do you still want to go out to look?" Fallstripe asked, looking nervously at Sootfur.

"Of course," Sootfur growled, glancing nervously at the dark sky. "I don't know what's keeping her, but it isn't like her. Even if it is our territory, accidents still happen, and no cat is supposed to be going out alone right now."

Fallstripe nodded in agreement and followed the dark tom out the entrance, nearly bumping into Flintpaw who was trying to enter, fresh prey in his mouth. "Sorry, excuse me," she mewed hurriedly, barely sparing him a glance and tearing after Sootfur, her tail fluffed up as she started fearing what may have happened to her sister.

The thought that her sister may have tripped and twisted her paw, or maybe had gotten all scratched up in a bramble thicket—with her thick fur, it wouldn't be the first time—it scared her and she didn't want her having to travel back alone on a cold night where the wind cut straight through the fur to the skin.

"I think the herb patch is over this way," Fallstripe mewed, taking the lead from Sootfur and easily navigating through the shadowy foliage, quite comfortable in the thick shadows of night.

"You sure seem to know your way around," her former mentor commented, sounding surprised and then hissing as he tripped over a branch.

Fallstripe didn't respond but had stopped dead in her tracks as she come to the herb patch and felt bile rise in her throat. She hadn't smelled it before because the wind was at their backs but now it came on her, a cloying herbal scent.

"What is it?" Sootfur grumbled as he bumped into her, but her paws were dug into the ground and for a few moments she didn't respond or move, feeling as if she'd turned to stone. Then she darted forward, like a rabbit startled by a ravenous fox. She bounded forward, without even thinking and when she came upon the white figure, looking as if it were asleep, the unsettled feeling that was always there erupted, and she turned away to retch.

"Fallstripe, are you sick?" Sootfur's concerned words died into the cold wind as his eyes found the white cat curled up on the ground.

The black she-cat scrunched her eyes as Sootfur shrieked a terrible sound, nearly unnatural in its sudden piercing grief. The warm blackness of her closed eyes didn't close her ears or her mind and Fallstripe felt as if she had taken a step on familiar, solid ground and suddenly found nothing there.

Because while she knew all cats died eventually, the reality that her beautiful, young, in-love, to-be-mother, sister was dead was incomprehensible. And she convulsed again.


	8. Chapter 8

Death.

It was a strange event to face. Every living thing in the world is born and dies in that order. And yet, it was always a shock when it happened, it was always unexpected to someone.

Warriors faced death all the time. Everytime they went on patrol or prepared for battle, they knew the risks and took them on proudly and honorably. But it was still tragic.

Trees died in leaf-bare and were reborn with fresh leaves in green-leaf. Prey died and was consumed by the cats of the lake daily, but there was always more prey. Cats died in every Clan in all the seasons, and yet, the hour that death would strike was completely unknown.

Fallstripe had only seen death so close to her one other time. When she was a kit, she had four littermates, not three, the last being a littermate named Leafkit. But when they were three mons old, white-cough infected the camp and Fallkit and Leafkit had gotten sick.

She could remember wheezing in the dark medicine-cat den, the steady drip of water synchronizing to her wheezing as she stared at her brother's gray side rise and fall, rise and fall, and then fall still as Rainfall gently nudged and caressed the kit as her mother sobbed heart-wrenching cries, begging and pleading for something that would not be granted. Because Leafkit had died.

And now Ivysong was dead.

Fallstripe didn't understand what was going, but she heard her own voice telling Sootfur that they needed to bring Ivysong back to camp. With her own eyes fixed on the anguished tom, she watched his gray eyes roll into the back of his head as he fell, unconscious, next to his mate. He had fainted from shock.

With her own nose she smelled the thick lavender scent and with her own mind she acknowledged that Ivysong was a victim of the murderer. With her own paws, she headed back to camp in order to get help.

But all the while, it was as if she were some cat else, as if she'd been pushed out of her body by some spirit and that she was trapped, pinned down with only cold darkness around her.

"Fallstripe, Fallstripe, Fallstripe!" a voice. It sounded far away and muffled, as if she were underwater. Lifting her eyes up from the ground she slowly recognized Flintpaw's concerned face, his dark blue eyes scrutinizing her as he asked her what was wrong.

She took a shaky breath and let it out in a long, wobbly sigh. "It's Ivysong," she managed, laboring to articulate each word. "The murderer…"

Grim understanding shot through Flintpaw's expression. "Where is she?"

Fallstripe led him back along the path slowly, and he bounded forward as the lavender scent hit them. When she reached them, she saw that Flintpaw had been reviving Sootfur and had the dark gray tom sitting up, talking to him with short, hushed whispers as the tom stared forward blankly.

"Fallstripe, help me get Ivysong on my back," the apprentice mewed quietly, drawing Sootfur away so that he couldn't see his fallen mate. His overwhelming look of loss and despair a stark contrast to the joy and pride he'd been exhibiting as Ivysong told the Clan she was expecting his kits.

Fallstripe numbly grabbed her sister by the scruff, her fur was cold as snow and she flinched away, averting her eyes as her breath seemed to get trapped in her chest, choking her. Coughing and wheezing she closed her eyes and felt a tail over her shoulder.

"Come on, let's take her home," Flintpaw mewed gently, dark eyes sad and sympathetic and although pity usually revolted her, she clung to his. A testament that something terribly had truly happened.

Trying again, she pulled her sister by the scruff onto Flintpaw's broad back so that she was slung over like a large piece of prey. For the first time, she looked her dead sister in the face, studying her stiff expression and neatly groomed fur.

Her beautiful sister was still lovely looking. The soft white fur and finely shaped head, ears, and shoulders were the same. But she had the beauty of stone, of something dead and cold. And the lavender scent and the perfectly arranged fur made her look more like carved marble than a cat.

Her green eyes were half-open, once so lovely, they were now glazed over like that of a dumb animal. No thoughts or emotion flashed behind those beautiful green eyes that had raged with love and passion just earlier that day, now they were empty and Fallstripe quickly closed them with a shudder.

"Help Sootfur back," Flintpaw ordered gently, leading the way through the dark and wind battered forest.

Fallstripe felt sick as she looked at the heartbroken tom, his gray eyes were nearly as lifeless as Ivysong's. There was no life, no hope in him now. "Come on," she mewed gently, nosing her former mentor to his paws.

He stumbled and looked at her numbly, sadness suddenly brimming in his gaze. He lowered his head like a defeated fox and followed her lead with his tail dragging on the ground, not speaking, just walking with an occasional groan of mourning. It was a haunting journey back to camp.

Flintpaw had already gone through the trial of explaining what they had found by the time Fallstripe and Sootfur arrived. The Clan was hysterical, not that Fallstripe noticed much. Dappledleaf was mewling pitifully by the side of her dead daughter, face constricted in pain while Rainfall gently tried to console, overlooking the body as he did so, shaking his head. "Suffocation," the medicine-cat murmured to Boulderstar and the leader nodded, his face full of grieving as he stood by the head of the dead cat.

Through the throng of mourning bodies Fallstripe spied her brothers standing behind their mother, both with identically shocked expressions, their eyes glued to their lifeless sister as their mother loudly lamented her daughter's fate.

Fallstripe knew she should go and join in the ritual mourning, but her paws were frozen to the ground as Sootfur stumbled over to his fallen mate's side, deep suffering apparent in every clumsy, painful, uncoordinated move he made.

Fallstripe's head hurt and she felt as if she were being pushed further and further back from her sister as more cats went to pay their last respects to the fallen young warrior. She watched as Rainfall quickly arranged the dead cat for the vigil, something that was easily done since the killer had already done most of the work.

As Fallstripe looked on blankly, Boulderstar called a quick meeting, announcing that Ivysong had been killed that afternoon and found by the WindClan border. It appeared to be the work of the infamous killer. Then he announced that they would mourn Ivysong tonight and bury her in the morning and began the procession of giving his last respects to the fallen warrior, pausing for a moment to give a word of consolation to Sootfur and Dappledleaf and then left, letting the rest of the mourners proceed.

Dappledleaf took the chief mourning position at her daughter's head, resting her nose in the white fur, her eyes closed and ears flat again her head, oblivious to the world. Her brothers also took positions near their mother, their heads bent in grieving. And Sootfur, poor Sootfur, was so besides himself that Rainfall gave him herbs so that he fell asleep at Ivysong's side.

It felt like an eternity passed in a few fleeting moments and nearly all the cats had retired to their nests, leaving only those closest to the deceased to stay up and sit vigil with the dead. Fallstripe, with no one between her and Ivysong, felt compelled to go and spend one last night by her sister, but as she stepped forward a dark silhouette approached her and stood between her and Ivysong.

 _Flintpaw?_ She wondered absently, recognizing the broad shoulders and dark pelt. But a glimpse of green eyes told her it was her father, Coalspark. "Fallstripe," her father's voice was low, and it sent chills down her spine. "Come with me."

He headed toward the entrance and Fallstripe followed him, head and tail low, just like Sootfur as he trailed his dead mate back to camp. This scenario had happened often, and she was always left feeling miserable. But now, she doubted she could feel more miserable, but as she glanced up at her father's grim expression as he turned toward her, cloaked in the shadows of the bramble barrier, she realized that is was possible.

"How do you feel?" her father asked, almost with a concerned tone, but his jaw was hard set and unfeeling. "The full moon is in five days, that was the agreed deadline for you to find the killer. And now Ivysong is dead. What do you have to say for yourself?" He paused, his voice had grown softer until it was almost a whisper and Fallstripe stared into his eyes, feeling a strange sensation of despair as she was unable to find any words.

"You mouse-heart!" he spat and suddenly jumped at her, knocking his paw against her cheek, hard. Fallstripe stumbled a few steps and fell to her side, her throbbing cheek open to the cold air. She stared blankly at her father's paws as he grabbed her roughly by the scruff and put her on her paws.

"I thought that by giving you these jobs the Clan could make use of your inconspicuous and uninteresting presence. Your shy and cowardly nature became assets in such a position, since it meant you were that much less likely to take unnecessary risks and be noticed. And I thought I'd finally found a place for you," Coalspark was growled, panting as he glared at her and she stared back, unblinking.

"But no, once this job came along, the most important one, you became unable to rise to the task. Moons of effort were wasted as you tried to find something concrete to go on and were unable to find it. Now your sister, my daughter lies dead just as her life of happiness was beginning."

He continued glaring at her, an unusually pained and suffering expression on his face. Then a strange gleam of contempt flickered in his green eyes. "I bet you were hoping she'd die," he snarled and Fallstripe felt her blood run colder than ice, "I know you loved Sootfur, and Ivysong is, well, was loved and respected by the Clan. You were always jealous of your sister, so are you happy now?"

Fallstripe was trembling, for the first time, she felt something akin to rage. "You really think I'm like that?" she asked, now her voice was dangerously soft and Coalspark seemed taken aback. She'd never talked back to him before. "If you think, even for a heartbeat—" she stepped closer to him, eyes boring into his, "That I'm capable of feeling anything other than grief that my sister—the sister that I loved more than any cat alive—died, and if you think I don't already hate myself for not being able to stop the murderer before, you don't know me at all!" she cried, her vision going dark as she saw her startled father's face and an intense desire for him to feel as miserable as she did rose in her and she lashed out, claws unsheathed, and landed a glancing blow on his cheek before spinning on her paws and racing back into camp. This time she didn't hesitate, but collapsed right by Ivysong's side, burying her nose in her sister's fur, wishing and desiring with all her heart that she was alive to tell her ' _don't worry about father, keep trying your best!_ '

But those conversations would never happen again and Fallstripe scrunched her eyes tight, drinking in the last scraps of her sister's scent that was heavily overlaid by death and lavender. _Ivysong, I promise, I'm going to find this cat, and he'll pay for every bit of happiness he stole from you and everyone else._

* * *

Fallstripe took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of freshly dug up dirt and the fading scent of lavender. Ivysong had been laid to rest and her paws were dirty and frozen from digging up the frozen ground. As she gazed up at the heavy gray clouds, a few faint snowflakes drifted down between the empty tree branches and delicately decorated the dark gray coat of Sootfur as he slumped, head bowed, over the grave.

Fallstripe watched him quietly from several paw-steps behind him, her heart aching in her chest so hard she thought she must cry out in pain. But she continued watching, as snow swiftly came down upon the forest, blurring the surroundings as a faint breeze blew snow into her face.

"Sootfur," Fallstripe mewed quietly, eyes on the dejected back of her former mentor. She had waited for all the other cats to return to camp and now she stepped toward him sitting down by his side and looking down at the dark dirt that the snow was trying to stick to.

"Ivysong is in StarClan now, you'll see her again someday. We both will," she mewed quietly. "But now, come back to the Clan…" her voice was soft, and she gave him a consoling look.

Sootfur met her gaze and as his gray eyes filled with grief, he pushed his face into her fur and sobbed silently into her fur. Fallstripe was stunned by his gesture and despite her best efforts, her heart began beating rapidly and almost against her will, she touched his head with her nose gently and licked his ears reassuringly as if he were a kit.

"Fallstripe, I'm sorry, I know you must be sad too, at losing your sister, but I can't do a thing for you. I was always a bad mentor," he mumbled, face still in her fur and his body trembled with each intake of breath.

"That's not true," she murmured, joy and pain blooming in her chest. "You always knew how to make me feel better, I admired you more than any cat in the Clan. That's why I am who I am today."

"Fallstripe…" Sootfur pulled away, his gray eyes dark with grief, but there was also energy in them again. His life wouldn't end with Ivysong's, of that Fallstripe was certain.

"Am I interrupting?" a gruff voice spoke behind them and they turned in unison to see a large dark gray tom with silver stripes walking to them, a strnage look in his dark blue eyes.

"Flintpaw," Fallstripe mewed evenly, getting to her paws.

"Lightpool was looking worried about you," Flintpaw mewed, jerking his head at Sootfur, "I think it's time to get back to camp before the snow gets heavier."

"Yes, I suppose you're right," Sootfur mewed softly, giving a long look of sadness back at the grave before heading toward camp.

Fallstripe stepped to follow him but Flintpaw blocked her way, "I need to talk to you," he mewed sternly and Fallstripe was surprised by the grim tone he had, he hadn't been anything like this the day before.

"What is it?" she asked warily, eyeing him up and down cautiously.

"You really don't waste time, huh? At least when it comes to your own life."

Fallstripe's fur fluffed up, the pain in her chest twisting, "What does that mean?" she spat angrily.

"And at your sister's grave right after she's buried? he growled, eyes dark and menacing.

"What do you mean?" she repeated, backing away as she felt a flush of guilt.

Flintpaw gave an uncharacteristically vicious snarl and stormed off in the opposite direction of camp, disappearing into the blanket of snow. Fallstripe shivered alone in the cold for a moment and with a resigned sigh, she chased after Flintpaw, her paw-steps leaving slight dimples in the accumulating snow.

"Flintpaw, wait!" she called, her voice hoarse from a night spent out in the cold sitting vigil and her body felt as heavy as stone while her head felt light and dizzy from emotional and physical exhaustion.

She hopped over a fallen log in her path but was too slow in drawing her paws up and she stumbled as she fell, letting out a cry of pain as her paw twisted on landing, falling onto her side with her eyes scrunched tight, feeling like she should just lie there for a minute.

"Honestly," a gruff voice spoke above her and she peeked open her eyes as Flintpaw grabbed her by the scruff and pulled her onto her paws. She winced as she set her twisted paw against the cold snow, but the pain faded, and she was relieved it wasn't sprained.

Flintpaw stood there, silent and reserved, eyes dark with anger as he loomed over her, fur fluffing up along his spine. "Don't you think there's more important things to be doing than trying to steal your dead sister's mate?" he growled, glaring at her as if she'd insulted him.

Fallstripe's black fur rose in defense, "I was comforting him! He was my mentor, he's important to me. I would never… I could never take Ivysong's love," she mewed, pain in her voice as she realized it was true. Her guilty conscience would never allow it. Not when she was the reason Ivysong was dead, it was as if she'd killed her sister herself. It made her sick to think that her father may have been right about her, that it was her fault her sister was dead.

She bowed her head, "I just don't know what to listen to, my heart or my head," she mumbled, trying not to cry.

"Listen to both, and come with me and I'll tell you how," Flintpaw mewed, a touchy of sympathy back in his voice as he led her over to a more sheltered spot under a holly bush. "Fallstripe, I think I know who the killer is."

Fallstripe's heart skyrocketed and then sank. So that was the final blow, he'd absolutely succeeded where she had failed. There was no way for her to redeem herself now. "Who is it?" she asked, eyes wide as anger and pain battled within her. Whoever had killed her sister would pay, even if she had failed to find him, she could at least help with that.

"Let's wait on that. I think that this cat is the only one who could have done it. But I don't have proof and I guarantee you," his eyes darkened, "The Clan won't believe us if we tell them without proof."

Fallstripe's tail quivered, "But who is it?" she hissed.

Flintpaw seemed to think for a minute, eyeing her up and down before shaking his head. "I think it's best if I wait to tell you. If he becomes suspicious and thinks we've discovered him, we won't be able to catch him. For now, you just need to know he's in ThunderClan and that he's well respected," Flintpaw growled, eyes downcast as he clawed at the frozen ground.

Fallstripe wanted to insist, but she didn't think he would tell her, plus, she was a little afraid of who in the Clan would kill her sister. _That means they were aware she was expecting kits, they know every ounce of joy they stole from her._

"Okay, how do you want to get proof then?"

"Glad you asked," Flintpaw purred, eyes looking up and gleaming with a new glint. "I want to lure him out and bait him, then ambush him and catch him in the act. If you can catch them in the act, they'll usually confess.

Fallstripe flattened her ears against her head, "How are you going to do that?" she asked warily.

"Let me explain. I noticed two things that both Ivysong and the WindClan cat had in common. The day they died, what did they do?" he asked, leaning toward her inquisitively

Fallstripe stared at him in confusion, what had both Ivysong and Rabbitear done? "I don't know."

"Now, I wasn't here so I can't know, but is there anything the other cats who were killed had in common? I heard that each cat of a different Clan had contact with a ThunderClan patrol and that the exchange between the patrols wasn't friendly."

Fallstripe shook her head, "It's like always, they keep dredging up Jaypaw as an excuse to pick a fight with us," she growled, lashing her tail. Then she took a sharp intake of breath, "And every ThunderClan cat who died said something similar… None of them had forgiven Jaypaw," she looked up at Flintpaw hoping she was wrong, but his expression was somber.

"That's it. That's the connection, the killer targets cats who bring up Jaypaw in a negative manner."

"But why? Jaypaw was a terrible cat! Everyone knows it."

"There are a lot of reasons. The killer may not like to be reminded of it, maybe they're ashamed of, or mad, about Jaypaw, so they punish cats who bring it up. Or they're trying to protect ThunderClan's unity by stopping cats from being alienated, after all, the leader is Jaypaw's father. However, I suspect a different reason for the culprit I have in mind," Flintpaw mused and the sober look he had stifled Fallstripe's annoyance at not knowing who it was.

"So, what's this plan of yours?" Fallstripe sighed, shifting into a more comfortable position.

"Well, as I said, I want to bait him out and Fallstripe… I want that to be your job," he mewed, looking at her imploringly.

Fallstripe took a deep breath, feeling herself tremble. _Even now, I'm only good as bait. Am I so pathetic?_ "I would do it myself," Flitnpaw continued apologetically, "But we both know he only goes after cats smaller or weaker than himself. I don't think he'd target me."

Fallstripe closed her eyes, "I want to help," she mewed slowly, unsheathing her claws and digging them into ground as she saw in her mind Ivysong's glazed eyes and she growled. "I've been so stupid up to now, only thinking about myself and what it means for me to find the killer. I'll do whatever it is I can do to help catch this cat," she spat, getting to her paws and lashing her tail angrily. She didn't care if her father thought she was failure; she didn't care if that was what the Clan thought. If she could avenge her sister, she would be satisfied for the rest of her life.

Flintpaw looked at her approvingly, "Great. I know it's a dangerous mission, that's why I want us to recruit another cat or two to help box in the killer, that way we can be sure to catch him. I was thinking maybe my mentor Smokecl—"

"No way," Fallstripe snapped, looking down at the apprentice. "We are not getting another Clan cat involved in this," she added in a growl. "It's not that I don't trust Smokeclaw," she cut Flintpaw's protests off, "But I don't think he would agree to this without Boulderstar's permission and then everything's ruined, and we can only give them your speculation without any proof. Besides," she added in a quiet voice, "The Clan has suffered enough."

They were silent for a moment and then Flintpaw sighed, "Fine, no more Clan cats. But I'm not going to risk your life with only me when there are too many unknowns. Who else can we get to help out?"

Fallstripe's eyes gleamed and she purred as one golden-brown tom came to mind. "I'm glad you asked. And as it happens, you can meet him tonight."


	9. Chapter 9

"Where are we going?" Flintpaw's curious voice echoed through the silent snow-filled forest.

Fallstripe glanced over her shoulder, beams of moonlight shot down through the branches of the tree, making the snow sparkle silver and illuminated the gray tom's silver stripes so they appeared white.

"To meet the cat that's going to help us," she responded, whiskers twitching in amusement as a bit of snow fell from one of the branches onto Flintpaw's back, making him jump.

"Why does it have to be at night?" he asked, shivering as he blew out a large puff of air that clouded in front of his face.

"Because that's when we meet. This cat has been helping me with the case for longer than you, so we meet up on selected nights to exchange and discuss information."

"So, he couldn't figure it out either, huh," Flintpaw mewed sounding distracted. "Must not be good at that sort of thing."

"Actually," Fallstripe mewed sharply, glancing over her shoulder again at Flintpaw who seemed to be studying the clear sky. "His job was to investigate rogues and the area outside the Clans. Since the killer is in the Clans, it's entirely my failing…" she trailed off, throat growing tight.

They continued in silence until they reached the meeting spot and Fallstripe led Flintpaw into the open clearing, shivering as a gust of wind pushed her into the stocky tom. "He should be here soon," Fallstripe mewed, stepping away with a look of apology as she fluffed up her short fur against the biting wind.

"It's cold out tonight," Flintpaw mewed, stepping deliberately against her so that she was shielded from the wind and his heat penetrated her body. She tensed up for a moment, but then relaxed into his war fur, purring gratefully, but it caught in her throat as a memory of Ivysong doing the exact same thing with her long fur flashed in her mind.

She looked up at the sky, it was clear. The snow clouds had passed, leaving a whisker-length of fresh snow upon the forest. But now a bright, nearly half moon hung high in the sky with a halo of stars around it.

The time-limit for her mission was almost up and as the thought of her father she shivered and instinctively pressed herself closer to Flintpaw. She hadn't spoken to her father since the burial and she'd done nothing but rest all afternoon, avoiding talking to any cat until it was time to leave. But now, she felt a cold dread at having to face her father empty-pawed. _No! I'm not doing this for his approval anymore, it's for Ivysong!_ But the fear didn't pass.

"Fallstripe!" a far-off call broke her out of her dismal thoughts, and she lifted her tail in greeting as a well-muscled handsome golden-brown tom kicked up a cloud of snow as he came to reach her, slowing hesitantly as Flintpaw tensed and gave a warning growl.

"Who is this?" Thorn asked silkily, blinking his wide eyes, full of ardor as he looked at her.

"He's Flintpaw, a Clan-mate of mine. He's helping us now," she mewed, trying to smooth the ruffled fur between the two toms, but despite her calm voice, the two toms gave each other wary glances.

"Thorn has been helping me a lot with this case, I think he's the one who should help us catch the killer," she mewed, turning to Flintpaw.

The apprentice gave her a long look and his eyes darted between her and Thorn before nodding. "Okay, if you trust him," he grumbled, turning to Thorn, one of the few cats who could match his height. Flintpaw went into a brief explanation of the plan, without naming the culprit.

"You want to use her as bait?!" Thorn growled, blue eyes wide with outrage. "I can't allow it, I'll be bait," he mewed, stepping to her side protectively.

"Weren't you listening?" Flintpaw growled, ears pinned to his head. "It has to be a weak-looking cat and a Clan cat. You're clearly neither!" the apprentice growled and Fallstripe felt a twinge of annoyance at his 'weak-looking' words.

"Fallstripe isn't weak!" Thorn shot back, fur fluffing up, so he looked twice his size.

"I didn't say she was, I said she was weak looking, meaning she's smaller and thinner. I don't care how blind with love you are, but you can't deny that she would make better-looking bait than either you or me," Flintpaw growled, raising his hackles.

"Hey, cut it out!" Fallstripe mewed, feeling increasingly anxious at their ill-temper toward each other.

"Stop it."

A new voice cut through the rumbling growls and Fallstripe felt chills down her spine. This voice was full of power and a coldness she had never felt, as if invisible claws were trailing down her spine. Instinctively, she shrunk next to Flintpaw, looking with wide-eyes for the speaker.

Thorn and Flintpaw had both backed down instantly at the voice, Flintpaw's eyes wide with stormy shock and Thorn dipped his head apologetically. "I also came with a companion tonight," he mewed, glancing at her sheepishly. "She helped me the other day against a rogue I was investigating who decided he didn't want me following him. She saved my life and after I explained what I was doing, she says she wants to help catch the killer," he mewed, stepping back and signaling to some cat with his tail.

A lithe black she-cat stepped into the moonlight, the silver light seemed to be sucked into her fur, making her look like a moving abyss. Fallstripe watched, mouth agape, as the graceful she-cat approached in silence, as if she were merely a shadow.

But the intensity of her red gaze convinced Fallstripe this was a real cat. The she-cat's scent was faint, despite being only two tail-lengths away and it was reminiscent of wind and rock, similar to Flintpaw's had been when they'd first met, but much weaker as if she were several tree-lengths away rather than a few tail-lengths.

"My stars…" Flintpaw whispered, eyes wide as he stared the she-cat up and down, "Amelia, is that you?"

"Hello, Flint," the black she-cat purred, black tail curling in pleasure, "It's so good to see you again."

Fallstripe looked at Flintpaw in confusion and then at Thorn, but the rogue looked as confused as she did. "The two of you know each other already?" the golden-brown tom asked cautiously, gaze darting between the two cats.

"Yeah, sort of," Flintpaw mewed in confusion, "You left us right after mother and Ash took leadership. I haven't seen you in seasons, and I didn't think I'd ever see you again," he mewed, looking lost as he stared at Amelia. Then added under his breath so Fallstripe barely heard him, "And honestly, I'd hoped I never would."

"That's true," the black she-cat, Amelia, purred. "You were half the height you are now last time I saw you. But enough of that, we're here to discuss catching the killer. I'm under the impression you already know who it is, right, Flint?"

"It's Flintpaw now," the tom mewed, trying to recompose himself. "And yes, I believe I know who it is. The plan is to lure him out with Fallstripe as bait," he laid his tail over her shoulder and Fallstripe looked at him as she realized he was trembling.

"Then the three of you will surround him and capture him. Once he's defeated, we'll take him back to camp for the leader and deputy to decide what to do with him," Fallstripe mewed steadily, taking over and stepping forward, giving Amelia a challenging stare.

"Really? You don't want to kill him yourself? But didn't he kill your sister?" the black rogue asked, amber eyes glinting.

"Warriors don't kill if they don't need to," Fallstripe growled in disgust at the thought, feeling like ants were crawling through her pelt. "We'll stop him and let the leader decide how to deal with him. Whether he's executed or banished, I don't care. I just want to fulfill my mission and stop any more cats from being killed."

"Very well, I'll help in any way I can," Amelia purred. "When are we going to get him?" she asked, looking at Flintpaw.

"We'll bait him tomorrow and arrange for Fallstripe to escort Rainfall to the half-moon meeting so that she'll be out alone by the WindClan border, his favorite area to kill. The killer won't be able to resist and will go to kill her, but we'll be there and catch him in the act."

"What if something goes wrong?" Amelia asked, "Like we lose sight of them? The killer kills by strangling, so Fallstripe won't be able to call out to us."

"That won't happen," Thorn growled, stepping to her side and wrapping himself around her protectively, "I promise on my life that I'll keep her safe," he mewed, intense blue eyes boring into hers and Fallstripe felt herself overwhelmed by the emotion in them, feeling like she was being swept away in a wave that she had no control over.

"Okay, we get it, we'll be careful," Flintpaw growled, nudging Thorn away from her. "I'll meet the two of you here a little before sunset. Be here, that'll give us enough time to reach Fallstripe before they reach the WindClan border. Then we follow until the killer shows up and capture him."

"Sounds simple enough, so let's hope it works out that way," Amelia mewed, following it with a yawn that showed off her white fangs glinting with moonlight. "May the stars light your path, you two," the black she-cat purred, turning away and heading back into the rogue forest.

Thorn hesitated for a moment, "Fallstripe, I promise on everything I hold dear that I'll keep you safe," he mewed, blue eyes round with affection. "And, please promise me that after this is over, that we'll meet again here."

Fallstripe's heart was pounding and she felt a fluttering in her stomach, "Okay," her voice was weak, but Thorn's eyes lit up with delight at her words and he ran away into the cold wind with a whoop of joy.

"He's really crazy about you," Flintpaw growled, looking at her suspiciously.

Fallstripe shifted her paws, "He was just a help at first, but now I don't know," she mewed, avoiding his gaze.

"Do you really think a relationship with him would work? He's outside of the Clan, and you're inside of it. And don't you like Sootfur?" the apprentice added with a growl, heading back into the forest, paws crunching on the snow.

Fallstripe was silent, feeling uncomfortable with her thoughts and emotions as she followed him. "I always liked Sootfur, he was my mentor and my greatest encourager outside my sister and brothers. I owe him a lot, but he and Ivysong… as much as I want him, I don't think he'll ever want me."

"But Thorn does want me, and I think I could learn to want him," she mewed, looking up at Flintpaw, searching for a sign of approval.

"Don't waste your time, you won't have a future with him," the tom growled. "So long as he's outside the Clan it won't work. I listened to enough of Needlepine's stories to know that. He and Rainstone had to leave the Clans, all their friends and families. And when they came back, it wasn't to one of their Clans, but to a different one. Because of the circumstance they could do it, but Fallstripe," Flintpaw faced her, dark eyes gorging into hers, "You're not the type that can abandon her life and start a new one."

Fallstripe felt a flash of anger, who was he to judge her? "You mean like you? You don't think I could be like you and leave my family for my own dreams? You don't think it's easy to leave a grave and a father who always looks down on you?" Pain stabbed her mind and made her angrier, "And you abandoned your family! Or maybe you ran away? Maybe you did something bad and got banished?" she mewed, feeling a swell of suspiciousness, "You never told me anything about yourself, so where do you get off telling me what I can and can't do?" she hissed, narrowing her eyes.

Flintpaw stepped away from her, surprised, and a note of understanding came into his eyes. "It's true, I never did talk about myself," he mused, looking up at the sky. "But Fallstripe, I think that you'll be surprised to know that we're more alike than you think," he mewed, turning in a direction away from camp and heading off towards the lake.

Fallstripe watched him go before letting out a sigh and hurrying to catch up. "So, what? If you have something to say, then say it!"

"I need a bit more space when thinking. The forest really isn't my natural habitat," Flintpaw mewed, giving her a wry look. She narrowed her eyes but dropped her questioning, sensing a ripple of unease under Flintpaw's skin.

After awhile they reached the edge of the forest and Flintpaw stepped out into the moonlight, taking a deep breath as he closed his eyes, the wind sweeping his whiskers to the sides of his cheeks as he faced the breeze head on.

Fallstripe shivered and stayed low to the ground, minimizing her exposure as she crouched at Flintpaw's side. He looked so young and powerful, like he could take on anything and succeed and as he opened his dark eyes, understanding and determination gave them a hard gleam, almost like a challenge. Envy stabbed Fallstripe, she could only wish to be that confident.

"Come on, it's freezing out here," she complained, wanting to get back to the shelter and shadows of the forest.

"No, I want to talk out here, where no one can eavesdrop," he mewed, giving a look over his shoulder at the forest. He took a few steps forward so that he was almost at the lake's edge where a film of thin ice had formed.

Fallstripe grumbled her objections but followed, settling down at his back so that he sheltered her from the wind. "Fallstripe, I'll tell you a little bit about myself, and where I came from," he paused before continuing, "I think now that Amelia is involved, it would be for the best if you knew a little."

"The black she-cat? She seemed pretty young, is she from the same place you are?" Fallstripe asked.

Flintpaw nodded, "Yes, I've known her since I was a kit. She was my mother's closest friend, but I wouldn't trust her," he broke off in a growl. "She may have cooperated and helped my mother, but only for amusement. She doesn't care about any cat, so if she's involved, it's because she finds the situation funny, or like a game."

Fallstripe's heart was beating wildly as she listened, _a game? My sister's death is part of a game to this cat?_ "Then why should we except her help?" she snapped angrily, "If she isn't committed then we should chase her out like the rogue she is!"

"That wouldn't be possible, she's also the strongest cat I know, and I can't remember a time when she lost in a fight, no matter against how many or how skilled. Besides, if she says she's going to help, then she is going to help," Flintpaw looked at her, "I'm just saying, don't trust her and be careful around her."

Fallstripe kneaded at the cold, sandy ground, "Fine," she growled, feeling frustration building in her. "But as soon as we catch the killer, she's gone, right?"

"I don't know, but I don't think she'd stick around. She's not exactly… fond of the Clans. And anyways," he swept on as she tried to ask why, "I wanted to explain to you why I came to the Clans, so that we know more about each other."

He contemplated her for a moment and then looked back at the lake, seeming to steel his nerves and took a deep breath as he began. "I was born in the mountains, far north of here. When you look toward the sunrise on a clear morning you can see the mountains in the distance. I left the mountains last new-leaf, just after the snow melted. It wasn't because I was exiled or ran away or anything. I set off on a journey, I wanted to travel and see all the places my mother had told me about in her stories of travelling. And I wanted to find my father," he added so quietly that his words almost seemed snatched away in the wind.

"The Clan cat you're related to?" Fallstripe asked, closing her eyes as she felt a sickness in her stomach again and she tried not to think, not to see the obvious.

"Yes. But that was a bit of a lie. My mother was a former Clan-cat herself, so I'm a full-blooded Clan cat. I already knew his name, I knew he looked like me, from what my mother said. I really wanted to ask him how he could have let mom go without him, how he—whom my mother loved—was okay that his kits grew up far away from him and that mother found someone new. I'd never felt like I'd missed out on something but seeing the way my mother and her new mate interacted with their kits, when I saw them, I knew I had missed a lot. And I wanted an explanation."

Fallstripe watched Flintpaw's solid back tremble and bend as he bowed his head, each word growing softer until it was nearly a whisper, "And I wanted him to know that his daughter died a hero." Fallstripe's heart flipped and a flush of emotion choked her throat as she instantly thought of her own sister, the fresh wounds nearly stealing her breath.

"How did she die?" Fallstripe whispered, trying to push the images of her sister curled up, dead.

"It was a fight, we were young… she was barely as old as an apprentice. But Fallstripe, she was special, and her actions saved so many cats… I just wish she'd lived to see it," his voice sounded tight with pain, even though it had happened so long ago. "Fallstripe, I won't lie, losing a littermate isn't a pain that ever really disappears. It lessens, for sure, but it's a loss that will always seem unfair, like something precious was stolen and there's nothing you can do to get it back."

He looked back at her and she met his gaze, for a moment they were alike in their pain but then he blinked and turned forward again. "Anyways, that's what I meant when I said we were more similar than you thought. We both know what it's like to lose a littermate and be ignored by our father."

Fallstripe flinched when he mentioned that last part, "You noticed?" she asked sheepishly.

"Hard not to," Flintpaw retorted, giving her a caustic look, "You shouldn't try so hard to please him. If he's not going to be happy with you, that's his fault. It's not going to change by you making yourself miserable and holding yourself back. That's why I want to make a request from you," he mewed, getting to his paws and turning around to face her.

Fallstripe stood up too, squinting her eyes against the wind that blew straight into her eyes. "Fallstripe, when we catch this murderer, I want you to not take anymore missions like this. Rejoin the Clan, make more friends, spend time with those who love you, and stop worrying about your father who will probably never be happy with you."

Fallstripe shrunk under his stern gaze but his words echoed in her heart as she thought back to this morning with her father accusing her of being happy that Ivysong had died. _Would someone who knew me, who loved me, ever say something like that?_ She looked up at Flintpaw and found the answer was no.

"Flintpaw…" she mewed slowly, raising her gaze and slowing her aching heart. _I only fall in love with those I can't have_. "You found your father, didn't you, in ThunderClan," she waited for his wary nod and she held his gaze, wanting to hear him say what she had suspected since she'd met him. "Who is it?"

Flintpaw's gaze grew hard and he looked away, "I'm sure more than a few cats have their suspicions, but not one wants to come out and say it. Fallstripe, my father is Coalspark, even though he won't ever acknowledge it."

Fallstripe nodded slowly, she'd been expecting it, but even so it was like a lash in the face. She could remember her mother, watching her father with adoring eyes from the nursery where they sat, ardor in her face, but Coalspark had never given her glance. He had never loved her like she loved him.

"You said your mother was a former Clan cat, what was her name?" she asked, she could hear the own sharpness of her voice as she felt herself start blaming this other she-cat for stealing the love that should have gone to her mother.

Flintpaw looked at her coolly, as if he could read her thoughts, "It's getting late, we should go back to camp," he mewed and walked past her toward the forest.

"Wait! Flintpaw!" she called, hurrying after him, feeling desperate. _Come on, just tell him, you can do this much!_ "Flintpaw!" she repeated, blocking his path as he looked at her in surprise. "I want to say something… Thank you for telling me about your life, and I'm sorry for the…" she paused, feeling baffled with herself, "insensitive things I said. Flintpaw, thank you for helping me with my mission, and worrying about me and I just want you to know…" she looked down at her paws, _you can never tell him you love him now, at least, not in the way you wanted._ But when she looked up, her hazel eyes were clear and content and so was her heart, "I'm really happy you're my brother."


	10. Chapter 10

A young black furred she-cat padded determinedly over toward the group of Lightpool, Mallowpelt, Berryfur, and Brambletail. The four cats were sharing their sun-high meal together near the medicine-cat den, huddled against the rock wall for shelter from the wind that whipped the pale gray clouds overhead.

Gripping her own mouse meal firmly in her teeth Fallstripe forced herself to walk the distance over to them and politely ask if she could join them for her meal. They paused their conversation to give her a surprised look and Fallstripe was painfully aware that it was unusual for her to eat with anyone of the cats in the group, often eating with her littermates or the elders.

"Sure!" Berryfur purred first, sympathy in her bright amber eyes, "Sit by me," she offered, shifting to make a space between her and Brambletail. The dark brown tom silently moved over as well, creating a comfortable space for her to sit with them. He didn't look at her and she didn't look at him, he'd always been a sort of quiet cat, kind of like her but that didn't make her want to know him better.

She forced herself to thank Berryfur before taking a few small bites of her meal, chewing them slowly as the conversation picked up again. "WindClan's pushing their luck with us again," Lightpool growled, green eyes glaring at nothing.

"If they don't apologize for accusing us of being the ones murdering cats around the Clans, we'll have no choice but to fight," Brambletail mewed quietly, looking down at the ground pensively, his claws playing with the bones of his finished meal.

"Shh!" Berryfur hissed, giving her an apologetic look, "There's no way anyone in this Clan could be responsible, not after what happened," the cream she-cat mewed softly, sharing a sad look with Fallstripe as she laid her tail gently over her shoulders.

The black she-cat swallowed hard, trying not to retch. She felt like there were worms in her belly and she felt unnaturally cold and hot at the same time as she forced herself to raise her gaze. "No, the other Clans aren't wrong to blame us," she mewed quietly, trying to remember what Flintpaw had told her to do. "Start quietly, get louder, it'll attract more attention."

"We're as much to blame as the other two Clans," she repeated more loudly, trying to ignore the shocked looks of the cats around her. "Letting the murderer get away with killing so many of our Clanmates, it's embarrassing!" Her heart was beating like crazy and she had to raise her eyes to the sky, hoping Ivysong would give her the strength to do this even as she wanted nothing more but to shrivel down into the dirt.

"Boulderstar should have done something after the first murder, but he didn't do anything but increase patrols! Isn't that strange? And now several of our beloved Clanmates are gone," now genuine bitterness seeped into her voice and her voice was carrying through the entire camp. Dozens of eyes on her as she stood up and her glare swept across the camp. _I don't know who you are, but I will catch you and make you pay for what you did to Ivysong._

It hadn't bothered her before, but the idea that one of these cats watching her now was the one who murdered Ivysong filled her with pain and rage, fueling her acting. "But I guess Boulderstar has never been good at dealing with murderers," she spat, the fur along her spine prickling uncomfortably, "After all, we know what happened with Jaypaw, she killed and murdered like a rogue under his watch. And now he hasn't taken any action against this murderer, which makes our leader just as bad, I guess it's a family thing," she mewed, not quite shouting, but with a sarcastic edge that echoed in the camp.

Finishing her staged rant, Fallstripe glared at her unfinished meal and tried to ignore the shame and embarrassment burning her ears as shocked whispers carried through the Clan. "I can't eat anymore," she grumbled, trying to keep up the angry act and not show that she was about to crumble up and cry.

Padding quickly through the clearing she headed for the exit, hoping to escape the Clan until after sunset when they'd try to catch the killer. But just before she reached the gorse exit, a wall of dark fur blocked her way and a quick gleam of glowering green eyes told her it was her father.

"Fallstripe, I would like a word with you," his voice was barely more than a whisper but as she looked at his eyes, she could see he was full of rage. She gave a longing look toward the forest but as Coalspark turned away, she found herself following him, head and tail dragging as it always did. This was the first time they'd talked since Ivysong's burial, and she sensed it wasn't going to be an improvement.

He led her to a secluded corner behind the Elders den, a place that was both hidden from sight and sound, since the thick den she'd built muted all noise coming to and from the Clan. Her father turned toward her slowly, eyes narrowed and the beginnings of a snarl pulling at his lips.

"What in StarClan's name was that," he spat, but continued before giving her a chance to speak continued, "I understand that you're upset and frustrated with your own failures, but that is not an excuse to blame your leader, who gave you the mission and entrusted you to catch the murderer without putting the Clan in anymore danger. And every time the killer struck, Boulderstar wanted to launch a full investigation, but I insisted we trust you! And this is how you repay that trust? By pinning it on your leader?"

Fallstripe kept a stoic face, trying to let his words slide over her harmlessly, but they still got caught and stung her. "Is that all?" she asked quietly, hiding how much she was trembling on the inside at the outraged tone of her father. Especially since what he said was the truth.

She watched Coalspark give her a long, slow look and it seemed like all his hope and trust slipped from his gaze, as if he were ready to give up on her. "Yes, return to your duties and do not disrupt the Clan with your nonsense. You will be receiving no more missions, I'll talk to Boulderstar about assigning a special group to investigate. One which you will not be on," he spoke in an exhausted tone as if he were fed up with her and then brushed past her roughly so that she stumbled into the side of the ravine, falling to her stomach to catch her breath.

 _Come on,_ she told herself fiercely, _you're doing this for the good of the Clan and for your poor sister. It doesn't matter if the Clan never knows, it doesn't matter if your father doesn't love you… it doesn't matter... But it still hurts._

She could feel her throat thicken and her nose burned as emotion flooded her senses. Their crumbling relationship had finally broken and what was worse was that she had broken it, by putting her duty first. _Ironic, by doing what he always wanted me to do, he'll end up hating me. But when we catch the murderer, maybe he'll understand._ Her hope was small, but it was enough for her to take a deep breath of cold air and regain her level-headedness.

Giving her ruffled fur a few licks she padded back into the clearing to be greeted by Rainpool. She flattened her ears immediately, knowing his fur was easily ruffled when Jaypaw was mentioned. But he looked unusually friendly, motioning to her in a soothing manner. "Fallstripe, would you do me a favor?" he asked, green eyes sympathetic as he flicked a piece of moss off her shoulder.

"Of course, Rainpool," she mewed, taken aback by his warmness, _maybe he's sympathetic because of Ivysong…_ "I need you to come gather herbs with me, I think some may have survived under the snow, but we have to get them now. This is our last chance before leaf-bare is completely upon us."

"Oh, of course but…"

"If you have stuff to finish now, then we can go closer to sunset, but I'd rather set out before then, with the half-moon meeting tonight…" he mewed, a note of impatience in his voice. _I guess his kindness has limits…_

"I would like to but…" she mewed, looking around trying to find an excuse. Then she spotted Flintpaw watching them intently and when their eyes met, he nodded frantically. "I'll be ready whenever you are," she mewed, reading that Flintpaw wanted her to go.

"Good, we'll leave soon," the medicine-cat turned away back toward his den. Fallstripe immediately headed over toward Flintpaw, wondering why he had wanted her to go. She was supposed to serve as bait to catch the killer, not babysit the cranky medicine-cat.

"Before you ask, take a look at the sky," Flintpaw instructed, a gleam in his eye.

Confused, Fallstripe looked up and saw the sun was already sliding toward the horizon. "I also have a feeling that Rainpool will be collecting herbs near the WindClan border, where our killer likes to show."

Fallstripe frowned, "How do you know that? He didn't even tell me."

"Because the other day he sent a particular cat to gather herbs in that area, but he didn't get those herbs because… you know," Flintpaw looked at her meaningfully and with a sick feeling Fallstripe understood.

"Ivysong never returned with the herbs," she finished with a shiver. "But the killer won't appear before two cats," she argued, looking around to make sure no one was listening, but most cats were out on patrol, leaving them with space to talk.

"Yes, but I don't think it'll be difficult for you two to split up, at which point the killer will come in to get you. But I'll be there with the others, who I will be going to get right now. Stall as long as you can and don't split up until I give the signal," he ordered, starting toward the exit.

"What signal?" Fallstripe hissed, looking at him in alarm, realizing that this was happening too quickly.

"Something, I'm sure you'll notice. Just be careful," he stopped to look at her seriously in the eye, dark eyes enveloping her. "If you start to feel unsafe, just run."

"But if I'm out there with Rainpool, I can't just leave him out there. He can be grumpy, but he's still an important part of the Clan!" Fallstripe mewed, exasperated that she had agreed to go gather herbs with Rainpool. The goal was to not get anymore Clan cats involved!

"Don't worry, the killer won't target Rainpool, I guarantee it." With that, the apprentice ran out of the den, the sound of his pawsteps and scent fading quickly into the snowy forest.

Partly annoyed, partly scared, Fallstripe forced herself to go to the warrior's den, sitting on a patch of bare ground and giving herself a thorough cleaning to calm her nerves. _Will Flintpaw really be able to get to the border and then run to the opposite border quickly enough? Will Thorn and Amelia even be there at this time? What about the killer, will he really show himself, and who is he? Why won't Flintpaw tell me?_ She looked around the camp, most of the warriors were out on patrol and the dusk patrol was gathering together by the entrance with Coalspark as its lead.

She saw her father's eyes find her, but they quickly looked away, a hint of anger in them. A spark of panic shot through her and she dug her claws into the frozen ground to keep from flinching, her heart was beating wildly, and she was short of breath as anxiety gripped her stomach like stone claws. "Fallstripe, are you okay?" a voice broke through and the grip on her stomach lessened.

"Oh, hello Tallpaw," she mewed, turning her head to greet the young tom quietly, trying to hide her panic as she forced her fur to lie flat.

"You look a little worried, do you want to get a bite to eat to take your mind off whatever?" the apprentice offered kindly and his eyes looked her up and down cautiously.

Falllstripe shook her head, a little sorry to miss this chance, she'd much rather spend a nice evening with the apprentice than act as bait for a killer. "Sorry, I'm about to go help Rainpool collect some herbs."

Tallpaw didn't respond but dipped his head, "Okay, then how about we go hunting together tomorrow, my mentor already gave me the day off to prepare for my final assessment, I'd really like to spend it with you," he mewed, eyes gleaming hopefully.

Fallstripe managed a purr, "Sure, let's do that," _I have a feeling his assessment will get pushed back._

The apprentice's tail curled happily, and he trotted away, "Good luck with those herbs," he called and Fallstripe waved her tail back at him, watching his muscles roll smoothly under his sleek pelt. When had he grown so strong? He'd always been a tall scrawny thing, but now lean muscle gave him a powerful appearance as he joined up with his den-mates near the fresh kill pile. Time was passing by quickly; he was nearly a warrior now.

"If you're done wooing over the resident starstruck fool," a cranky voice brought her attention to Rainpool who was approaching with an annoyed look on his face, "I'd like to get moving. Tonight is the half moon meeting, so I would like to not be out too late… I'll probably have to send you back to camp with the herbs while I continue on to the meeting."

"Oh, of course," Fallstripe mewed quickly, lowering her head as her heart began to pound faster. "After you," she invited the medicine-cat, moving aside awkwardly and nodding with her head for him to lead the way.

Rainpool sniffed, green eyes cold, "You're not anything like your mother," he grumbled, walking past her at a sauntering pace as if his thoughts were elsewhere.

Panic again caught up to Fallstripe as she followed the medicine-cat into the snowy forest. The trail was brown and cold, the snow having been trodden away to leave only a damp muddy mess that clung to her paws and splattered up on her legs and belly, making her wince at the cold.

But now she was out in the forest, with sunset fast approaching, with a medicine-cat, and Flintpaw could only just be getting to the border. _StarClan, please help them hurry!_ She prayed, watching the medicine-cat anxiously. Had she been alone, she could have waited, but now not only was she early, but she had another cat to protect.

_But who knows, maybe he won't attack if I'm wish another cat. But then again… Flintpaw was confident, and in a fight, Rainpool's more of a liability than an asset…_

"Keep up! You're falling behind!" Rainpool snapped, glaring over his shoulder at her.

Fallstripe scrambled to catch up, fur fluffing up defensively, _he clearly doesn't like any of my littermates or I, so why even bother asking us to help him? There were others…_ She thought in annoyance.

"Fallstripe, tell me…" Rainpool started, his voice softer than before as he slowed so that they were walking shoulder to shoulder, but his eyes looked far away as if he saw something she couldn't. "How is your mother? After Ivysong's death," Fallstripe's ears twitched, was that regret or pity in his voice.

"She's upset… she hasn't been eating much and she's been talking to Sootfall a lot," she mewed, looking away, feeling guilty that she hadn't tried to comfort her mother or littermates at all. She'd been too upset at her father to want to think about family.

"I see, that's to be expected," Rainpool muttered. "But you don't think it'll affect her for a long time?"

Fallstripe blinked at him, "I don't know, I think it'll never stop hurting… but she didn't grieve Leafkit forever either, so I don't think so."

"That's a relief," Rainpool sighed, then instantly snapped back to his abrupt self, "The sun's already setting, step it up," he bounded forward, leaving her to trail as blue shadows stretched over the snow, the last hints of light dying away from the cold sky.

It didn't take much longer to reach the WindClan border and now Fallstripe was on guard, drinking in the scents while her eyes and ears constantly searched for any hint that someone was following them. Nothing.

"Stop standing there like a mouse-brain and hold this up for me," Rainpool snapped, pushing a holly branch in her direction. Fallstripe grabbed the branch with her mouth, blinking back tears as the poky leaves stabbed her muzzle.

Rainpool crawled under the bush, digging in the snow and reappearing a few moments later. "Good, the tansy's only a little frostbit, I can save most of it," he mumbled, taking the pile in his mouth.

With his mouth full he signaled with his tail for her to continue to follow, "Dis ay."

Fallstripe was almost amused by how silly the medicine-cat sounded, but she was too nervous to do anything but follow. The cold seemed to grow colder, and the shadows grew more ominous as the haloed half-moon gave only the slightest sliver of light for them to walk by. _Where's Flintpaw? Where's the killer? Will either show? Who'll get here first?_

"Fallstripe, hurry u- Ah!" Rainpool's call of alarm turned Fallstripe's blood cold as she saw the tip of his tail disappear behind a boulder. He had left the safety of the trees behind and started up the open slope that led to the Moonpool, vanishing suddenly behind a shadowy rock.

"Rainpool!" she cried, fear mounting as she raced as fast as she could to the boulder, skidding around it with hackles raised and claws unsheathed.

"What are you doing?" Rainpool looked at her scornfully as she looked at him in confusion. He had dropped the tansy and was instead plucking a blue flower from its stem. "Whatever, help me pick some larkspur."

"What's that?" Fallstripe looked at the flower in confusion, she knew she'd seen it before, but not in the medicine-cat's den.

"Larkspur, it can treat infected wounds. I didn't think it could still be growing in this cold! It'll die here if we don't take it all, so grab all that you can and get it back to camp," the medicine-cat mewed excitedly. "It's also great for leaf-bare because it helps strengthen cats like travelling herbs, it tastes better too, see?" eyes gleaming, he handed her a stem with the vibrant blue flowers bouncing happily.

Fallstripe, with her ears cocked to listen for any cats approaching, leaned forward and took the herb, chewing it, a peculiar but not altogether unpleasant taste erupted with the herb and she finished it quickly. "Okay, let's go," she mewed, bending down to pick up the rest of the larkspur and following Rainpool around the boulder onto the open hillside, eyes and ears scanning the shadows that protruded from the forest.

The snow crunched under their paws but half-way back to the forest Fallstripe felt a sudden pain in her head and stomach and her limbs felt stiff as she stumbled and swayed over the snow, straining to keep her senses focused on searching for the expected arrival of the killer.

She clenched her teeth, tasting the sweet juice from the herbs seep out of her jaws as she failed to swallow. Chocking, she spat out the herbs and coughed so hard she fell onto her side, eyes squeezed shut as a wave of pain, nausea, and numbness gripped her with frightening strength.

"Fallstripe?" Rainpool's cool mew broke through the heated panic she was experiencing, and she opened her eyes to see him standing over her, a surprisingly unconcerned look on his face. "How do you feel?" he asked softly, staring intensely into her eyes.

Fallstripe opened her mouth to cry out in pain but she couldn't move her jaws and she stared at the medicine-cat helplessly, confused and frightened as she felt herself growing stiffer and a strong sensation of drowsiness seemed to sap at her strength to keep her eyes open.

"You know," Rainpool mewed, stepping away from her and bending over to sniff at the larkspur she had dropped about a tail-length away, "On second thought, Larkspur is one of the best treatments for infected wounds, but it should never be eaten, otherwise it could cause paralysis and death." His green eyes blinked back at her and Fallstripe hoped that the ringing in her ears was making her hear incorrectly.

She tried again to open her mouth, but no noise came out. "Shh… it'll be over soon," Rainpool purred soothingly, rolling her onto her back and standing over her, putting his back paws on her stomach and his front, sheathed paws on her throat and pressing down slowly.

"First Ivysong, and now you, poor Dappledpelt…" he mewed sadly, green eyes flooded with sympathy. "But I can't let you live… I can't stand to look at you, not after what you said," a light of wrath now filled his usually calm eyes and they glowed eerily as Fallstripe struggled for air.

She couldn't think, but after all, there was no need. _Was this how he killed Ivysong? He poisoned her and choked her? Was this how he had killed so many other cats? All while being a revered member of the Clan… Flintpaw was right, no cat would have believed he was the killer without proof. And no one other than a medicine-cat would realize he was using herbs to kill cats. And just like with Ivysong, there's absolutely nothing I can do. I guess I won't be able to go hunting with Tallpaw tomorrow after all…_

Fear gripped her heart as she went silent, unable to draw in any air and she closed her eyes in resignation. _Ivysong… I'll be seeing you sooner than I thought…_

A sharp noise pierced her ears and her eyelids fluttered as she felt herself grow as heavy as stone, Rainpool's paws pressing against her throat more urgently and she felt a vague prick of claws at her throat.

Then the weight was gone, and her lungs filled with air as she tried to cough but her body still wouldn't move. Indistinct noises swirled around her and shadows filed her visions, but her nose was still working. _Thorn!_ She could smell the tom's anger and rage as he attacked the medicine-cat, she could nearly taste Rainpool's surprise. _They made it in time!_ Relief flowed through her before she realized that she was still growing weaker and was unable to see anything clearly.

 _I'm still poisoned, and I can't smell Flintpaw or Amelia… what's going on?_ Struggling to open her eyes, she saw Thorn on his hindlegs, swiping down at the medicine-cat who backed away slowly, expertly dodging each blow.

Cold shock filled her as she saw that the medicine-cat was nearly unscathed, but Thorn already had several bleeding gashes, and as she watched Rainpool darted in as fast as a snake to bite Thorn's paw. _How? He's a medicine-cat!_

"Get out, rogue," Rainpool spat, glaring at him.

"I won't leave Fallstripe!" Thorn hissed back, spitting a mouthful of scarlet blood on the snowy ground.

Rainpool flattened his ears and glared at her, "You planned this!" Fallstripe glared back, feeling fury well up inside of her as she stared at her sister's killer. Confusion and disbelief had already disappeared and now she could only remember every cold look and word the medicine-cat had given to her littermates and herself. She wanted to yell at him and demand answers, but she couldn't move her mouth.

"Then I'll just have to kill both of you!" the tom's green eyes glinted with deadly intent and his lips curled back in an ugly snarl. "You'll be the last to insult my family ever again!" his voice cracked but Fallstripe didn't notice, her ears had picked up the sounds of a pair of swiftly approaching pawsteps.

Rainpool seemed to have noticed as well and in a show of speed closed the two tail-length distance between himself and the bulky golden tom and with a slight twist that dodged Thorn's claws, plunged his jaws at Thorn's throat. Fallstripe watched in horror, unable to move, unable to utter a word.

Time seemed to slow as she could see Rainpool's white fangs dig into Thorn's soft throat, staining the lush golden fur red. Blank fear hallowed out Thorn's blue eyes as his own blood ran down, staining his white chest red as he struggled to keep his paws but seemed to slip on the snow, falling like a limp piece of prey onto the snowy forest floor.

His eyes dimmed and with his last ounce of strength he lifted his head slightly, blood trickling from his mouth. His blue eyes locked onto hers, like twin swaths of sky that slowly turned dark. "Fallstripe—" his whisper was hoarse, but in the silent forest it sounded like booming thunder, "I love you…" His eyes rolled back, and his head fell against the snow, a widening blood stain surrounding his head.

Fallstripe felt pain seer her chest, and she wanted to cry out more than anything, but only a chocking cough was heard as she felt regret and sadness swirl in her head. _It's my fault he died! He shouldn't have had to, this wasn't his fight, I should have died! Where are the other two? Why did it turn out this way?_

The only answer to her questions was an angry caterwaul and a dark blur of fur rushed from the shadows, rocketing into Rainpool and sending him flying several fox-lengths away from Thorn and Fallstripe. _Flintpaw!_

"Fallstripe!" Flintpaw looked at her and then Thorn, his eyes darkening with regret as he took in the tom's lifeless and bloody body. "Are you okay?" he went to her and sniffed at her, she looked at him and stared back helplessly, unable to answer.

"She's been poisoned," a she-cat's amused voice was heard, and Amelia entered the scene. Unlike Flintpaw, she wasn't out of breath and her fur was as sleek as a RiverClan cat who had spent all day grooming. Her glowing amber eyes briefly landed on Thorn and she shook her head, picking up some herbs she seemed to have dropped when she spoke and moved over to Fallstripe.

"Keep Rainpool busy," Amelia told Flintpaw.

"Oh, don't worry," Flintpaw's voice was grave, "I won't be letting him leave, not after this." The tom launched himself towards Rainpool, but Amelia stepped between her and the two toms so that she couldn't see.

Fallstripe gasped, wanting to warn Flintpaw of Rainpool's exceptional skill, but no words came out. "Oh, don't you worry about that one," Amelia purred, stuffing her mouth with a sour tasting herb and stroking her throat so that she would swallow. "Flint was trained not only by me, but by his mother. And no matter how skilled Rainpool is, he's in for a rude surprise when he sees how a mountain cat can fight," the she-cat's red eyes weren't comforting, but her confidence was, and Fallstripe relaxed, at least until she felt a sharp pain and her stomach and began to convulse.

"The only way to get rid of poison is to cough it back up," Amelia purred happily, not minding her pointed glare.

"You could have warned me," Fallstripe growled shakily, spitting out the last bit of bile. But she was already feeling better, her head was clearing, and she could make small movements.

"Don't move," Amelia snapped as she tried to get up, "I got rid of most of it, but you shouldn't move too much until the symptoms subside or you could still die. Besides, I think the show's almost over," she mewed, moving to the side so that Fallstripe could see the ongoing fight.

Unlike before, with the growls and hisses, this fight was silent, save for the thumping of paws and the crunching of silvery snow. Flintpaw moved quickly for his size, like a shadow as he feigned one way then another before finally striking, slowly wearing Rainpool down so that the medicine-cat was panting and glaring, blood dripping from several wounds and falling as scarlet raindrops onto the snow.

The medicine-cat raked his claws over Flintpaw's cheek, but the tom was unfazed and struck back with a bite to Rainpool's shoulder, shoving the tom back onto his haunches. "Give it up, we're taking you back to camp and you will answer for your crimes," the apprentice growled threateningly, dark eyes focused.

Rainpool lashed his tail and pinned his ears back, "Why are you on their side?" he snarled, glaring at Fallstripe. "I know your secret, I know you're Jaypaw—my sister's— son!"

Fallstripe's heart beat wildly at that and her eyes widened, she knew he was her half-brother, being Coalspark's unknown lost kit, but his mother was Jaypaw? The Jaypaw in every nursery story about what a warrior shouldn't be? The Jaypaw that disappeared before she was even born, killed in mysterious circumstances?

"What does that have to do with anything?" Flintpaw snapped.

"You're not as bright as your mother," Rainpool mewed with false pity, "It means you're my kin and that as your mother's son, you shouldn't allow her name to be smeared by lies!" The medicine-cat's green eyes widened with anger, "The Clans were the ones who went to war, and they pinned every fight, every injury, every death on the talent of a young cat who did not fear death, your mother! My… sister," Rainpool's voice cracked.

Flintpaw pinned his ears back and snarled, "I would never side with you."

"But you would, I know you attacked Harespring when she insulted your mother. You feel the same as I do."

Amelia chuckled, "This cat is really Jay's kind and innocent brother? She'd be abhorred if she could see him now," her eyes gleamed with pleasure and a faint purr rumbled from her throat. The sound made Fallstripe's blood turn cold.

"I regret what I did, I shouldn't have attacked her," Flintpaw mewed evenly, recomposing himself. "My mother told me what I could expect to hear about her in the Clans. She told me to make my own path and not worry about what anyone else thought. Not what my friends thought, or my family, or any cat I happened to meet, not what the Clans said, or even StarClan said. I know my mother isn't the cat in those stories, and any cat who knew her knows that too, I don't need to prove anything to anyone. Unlike you, my mother isn't interested in living in the past, but fighting for the future. And a future of killing isn't the path I want to walk!"

Flintpaw ended his speech by launching himself at the unprepared gray tom, grabbing him by the scruff and, ignoring the claws raking his chest and shoulders, with a massive heave tossed the cat against a tree with such force a pile of snow fell on the limp medicine-cat.

Flintpaw approached the immobile cat and a quick check told him, "He's unconscious."

Fallstripe released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, and Amelia's tail curled with pleasure as she stalked soundlessly over to Flintpaw, who watched her warily. "Good job, you've taken down the fearsome medicine-cat."

"He fought like mother," Flintpaw mumbled, staring blankly down at his defeated foe.

"She probably practiced with him all the time, she told me they were very close and there weren't many other cats she got along with," Amelia mewed, grabbing Rainpool by the scruff and dragging him out of the snow.

"What are you doing?" Flintpaw asked, a guarded expression on his face as Amelia pulled Rainpool away from Flintpaw's reach.

Fallstripe couldn't see what Amelia was doing and she tried to scramble to her paws but slumped back in the snow as a sharp pain flashed through her. "I'm doing you a favor," Amelia's sweet voice could not be anything other than deceptive and Fallstripe let out a cry of protest while Flintpaw launched himself at the black she-cat, rolling with her in the snow away from Rainpool.

But it was too late, the black she-cat had already gouged out the tom's throat. "What did you do?" Fallstripe whispered, looking wide-eyed in shock at the black she-cat who was detangling herself from a furious Flintpaw.

"He would have been executed for his crimes anyways," she mewed dismissively.

"But he was unconscious! He couldn't defend himself!" Flintpaw growled in disgust.

"And were his victims able to defend themselves? Poisoned? No, and this was a mercy for his family, who would have had to bear another embarrassment upon themselves. I'm sure Scorch will be happy to bear the burden of knowledge alone."

The black she-cat leaped past the dead medicine-cat, heading for the moonpool trail. "Where are you going?" Flintpaw called.

Amelia looked over her shoulder, "I'm leaving. I get the feeling the Clans will be peaceful for a while, and that's boring. Besides, I'm sure your mother is anxious to hear about how you're doing. Can't wait to tell her you helped kill her brother!" the black she-cat snickered but at Flintpaw's growing look of horror she sighed.

"I won't tell her that little detail if you don't want me to. But when you return to the mountains, then you will have to tell her yourself. Does that work for you?"

"I'm not returning. I'm going to live as a warrior in ThunderClan," Flintpaw mewed, no hesitation in his voice as he went to Fallstripe and helped her to her paws, letting her lean heavily on his shoulder.

Amelia regarded him curiously for a few moments before dipping her head, "Then she will never know. I wish you luck with the path you have chosen, I hope you do not regret it." Amelia turned and bounded into the shadows, her presence fading like mist in sunlight.

Flintpaw let out a heavy sigh and looked at her, "I'm so sorry we didn't get here sooner…" he murmured, resting his muzzle on the top of her head, "Do you feel alright?"

"A little wobbly, but getting stronger," Fallstripe mewed shakily, feeling more exhausted than ever before in her life. "But now Ivysong and the others can rest in peace. And no more cats will be killed," she whispered, a sob in her voice as she stared at Thorn's lifeless body.

"He was a good cat, and he died as nobly as any warrior, defending what he loved," Flintpaw looked at her gently, "If he really loved you, he wouldn't want you to be sad. You're not weak and you're not a kit, you'll get through this."

Fallstripe looked up at Fintpaw and felt a rush of warmth for her half-brother. "Thanks, but what do we do now?"

Flintpaw followed her gaze, they were standing in a freezing, snowy forest far from camp with two dead toms at their paws. "What do you want to tell the Clan?"

Fallstripe bit her tongue, she knew what they should do, but she couldn't stand the thought. "Amelia was right, if the Clan finds out Rainpool was the killer things will go badly not only for Boulderstar and his family, but for all of ThunderClan. But on the other paw if we say it was Thorn…"

"If we say Thorn was the killer and he killed Rainpool before we could stop him and we took his life in vengeance…" Flintpaw sighed, "I don't like it, but it's the least painful thing to do to the Clan."

"But how will we get them back to camp? I still can barely stand, and you're injured," Fallstripe mewed worriedly.

"I think," a loud voice boomed behind them and Fallstripe nearly fell over as she jumped in place. She watched, mouth open, as Coalspark and Boulderstar, followed by Scorch, emerged from the shadows. "That we can help you with that."


	11. Epilogue

Blossoms danced on the wind, swirling around in a cascade of white and pale pink before scattering across a lush green clearing. The sun beamed overhead, sending golden rays of light to warm the earth and melt the remaining piles of slushy snow.

Birds chirped and flitted to and fro in the emerging green canopy of leaves, the tiny leaves just unrolling in a soft green delicacy along the smooth branches that had been bare for too long. The sound of dripping snow merged with the sound of stirring creatures to create a melody of life all around the quiet clearing, a warm breeze sending ripples through the grass and decorating it with soft white petals from the blossoming trees.

Fallstripe sat still, taking it all in and soaking up the sun's warmth, her tail twitching in quiet content. "You'd probably try to catch the blossoms before they touched the ground," she murmured absently, watching a petal drift past her nose. "Right, Thorn?"

She looked down as a soft mound in the clearing, grass and petals starting to cover the dirt that had been laboriously dug up when it was frozen, but now started to show signs of green as life returned to it.

Thorn was buried here; in the clearing they had met together so many times. It had been difficult, not only to carry his body out here and dig up the frozen ground, but also to convince the Clan to allow her and Flintpaw the duty of disposing the body of the one the Clan all believed to be the murderer.

After the death of Rainfall and Thorn, Flintpaw and Fallstripe carried through with their resolution to present Thorn as the murderer and Rainfall as a victim, to avoid uproar in the Clans. It was hard enough for the Clan going into leaf-bare without a full-fledged medicine-cat without the pain of knowing he had murdered his Clan-mates.

The Clan was much happier to accept the idea that Thorn, a rogue they didn't know, had been the murderer. And as far as they knew, he was simply a Clan-hating rogue who attacked weak cats. In fact, all four Clans were happy about this news and the accusations and threat of war subsided as the snow drifts gathered.

All the difficulties, all the pain of the last few moons had seemed put at rest for Fallstripe then. Boulderstar had praised her and Flintpaw for their work and even Coalspark had seemed content with the results. But she'd since refused every mission he'd asked her to complete and returned to regular warrior duties, happy to leave her nights of skulking and spying alone behind her.

Peace filled her and even though the pain of loss of both Ivysong and Thorn remained, the pain eased as she grew closer to her Clan-mates in a way she never had before. And now as new leaf came once again, she found herself closer to a certain young warrior named Tallcloud.

But he wasn't the only one, and as her thoughts drifted, she heard a call from the edge of the clearing. Getting up, she approached the tall, muscular dark gray tom, his dark blue eyes stolen swaths from the midnight sky.

"I've been looking for you," he mewed, turning back into the forest and allowing her to fall into stride by his side.

"I'm surprised, you're usually still asleep so early in the morning," she teased.

"It's almost sun-high and I only did that once!" Flintpaw responded with a mock glare that melted as he leaped into the air, twisting to catch a blossom petal as it drifted between the trees, golden sunlight glinting off his well-groomed pelt and firm muscles.

Fallstripe scoffed, "Is that any way for an almost warrior to act?"

Flintpaw looked back at her, the petal delicately held in his mouth so that it wouldn't tear. He purred, "You just wish you could do it too," he mewed, letting the petal fall to the ground and then he took off at a brisk trot, tail straight in the air as if he couldn't stand still.

"Don't tell me you're excited," Fallstripe purred, catching up to him and trying to catch his eye, but his eyes were focused on the sky that peeked in between the tree limbs. Unbridled excitement sparking in those deep depths.

"Today I become a warrior," his voice was soft with feeling and warmth filled her as she caught onto his excitement.

"You've worked really hard for this," she mewed, remembering how often he'd volunteered to take the night watch or help clear the snow from camp after a heavy snowfall. He would have become a warrior long before, but all his work had left him exhausted and susceptible to a bout of white cough that had passed through the Clan, _without casualties thank StarClan._ But it had left him stuck in his nest for nearly a moon and only now had he regained full strength and had passed his final assessment.

As they approached camp, they were greeted by two cats who swarmed toward them in a flurry. "Flintpaw, what were you doing?! The ceremony is about to start!"

Fallstripe stepped away and watched in amusement as Cloudfern began smoothing the apprentice's fur, picking out tiny scraps of debris from his fur. "I mean honestly…" the she-cat muttered, using her tail to brush off a blossom petal from his pelt and then looking up at him, her eyes full of love as her annoyance dissipated from her soft gaze.

Fallstripe's tail curled happily as Flintpaw touched noses with Cloudfern gently, a gentle look in his eyes as his gaze strayed to the she-cat's slightly plump belly. "They don't even notice anyone else when they're together," Tallcloud mewed, looking at his sister with warmth. "A horde of badgers could be invading the camp and they wouldn't notice."

Fallstripe purred and looked up at the tall tom, glad that their friendship was blossoming like the world around them. "Come on you two, the ceremony is starting!" Tallcloud called as he and Fallstripe darted away into the camp ahead of them, letting the two mates to come at their own pace as they quickly found a spot together at the front of the crowd.

It was a beautiful day for a ceremony and Boulderstar stood on high-ledge, chest puffed out and pride in his blue eyes as Cloudfern and Flintpaw came to the front of the assembled warriors and Smokeclaw joined his apprentice and offered a few words that Fallstripe couldn't catch but which made Flintpaw stand up straighter and face forward confidently.

"Clan-mates, with the harsh season of leaf-bare over and the troubles and dangers we faced the past few seasons laid to rest, we are proud to show that we are still standing and stronger than ever after the harsh trials we have faced. We will not forget our fallen Clan-mates, all of which were precious to us and leave scars that may never fully heal."

Pain gripped Fallstripe's chest as images of Ivysong and Thorn flitted through her thoughts. She could see Sootfur now, head bowed as he sat alone at the edge of the clearing. But Lightpool padded over to him and nudged him gently, sitting next to him and he lifted his head, eyes sorrowful but strong.

"And now we have a new warrior to join us in protecting the Clan that our loved ones gave their lives for. Flintpaw, please step forward." The apprentice stepped out from the crowd and raised his eyes to Boulderstar as the gray leader gracefully descended the rockpile to stand in front of the apprentice that towered over him.

"I, Boulderstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn." The leader lowered his eyes from the sky and looked at Flintpaw levelly.

"Flintpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan even at the cost of your life?"

"I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name—" Boulderstar gave an unusual pause here and regarded Flintpaw for a moment before the apprentice gave him a nod and he continued. "Flintpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Flintjay, StarClan honors your bravery and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Here Boulderstar laid his chin on Flintjay's head—who had to bow his head for the leader to reach—and he gave the leader a respectful lick on the shoulder before turning back to the Clan and challenging them with a bold stare as he went to sit down between Smokeclaw and Cloudfern.

Fallstripe was stunned momentarily by the odd name choice, but she instantly recognized it as an homage to Flintjay's mother. She raised her head and started chanting, "Flintjay! Flintjay! Flintjay!" others joined in, hesitantly at first, but then more strongly and surely and she saw Cloudfern proudly chanting the name. The former rogue had endeared himself to the Clan and they welcomed him as a warrior of the Clan.

As the Clan chanted and congratulated the new warrior Fallstripe raised her eyes and took in the moment. She could see Scorch sitting with Sandpaw, the new apprentice medicine-cat who, after being sick for most of leaf-bare as a kit, had found a calling to the medicine-cat life, relieving Boulderstar of the duty of forcing one of the two kits into the role. But Fallstripe wondered in this moment if that was envy in his amber eyes. _I hope StarClan will guide him always._

She could see her mother, Dappledleaf, sitting with Sootfall, her face serene with the beauty of a sky after the storms had passed. The elders sat together by the entrance to their den, having defied all odds and not even gotten a single sniffle throughout leaf-bare, which Fallstripe attributed to her wonderful den-building skills.

Her eyes unconsciously landed on her father and as she watched him sit, solemn and alone, apart from the gathered Clan. She wondered if he ever regretted his choices. Pushing her mother and all her littermates away, choosing to put the good of the Clan over all else. She wondered if he missed Jaypaw, or if he loathed Flintjat as a son. Or if he was happy with the way things were. His green eyes gave no answer, but the blank way in which he watched Flintjay be congratulated and be surrounded by his Clan-mates made Fallstripe wonder.

With a deep sigh Fallstripe closed her eyes, it seemed like a day like this would never come. _When we could all be happy and excited about the future. I wonder if Jaypaw is happy, far away? I wonder if Amelia told her of what happened… or if she'll ever return to the Clans to visit her son._

Opening her eyes, Fallstripe felt a nudge on her shoulder and blinked sheepishly at Tallcloud. "Alright, daydreamer. When you're done how about we go give our love-sick friend our congratulations."

Fallstripe purred and got to her paws, "Lead the way," she invited, allowing the lanky tom to form a path through the wall of cats. By the time they got to Flintjay, most of the cats had backed off and only Cloudfern remained by his side.

"Flintjay! That's a unique name," Tallcloud mewed, giving the new warrior a bow of congratulations.

Flintjay nodded his head, purring too hard to answer. "Oh no, this means we have to share a den again. I was enjoying not having to listen to your snores," Tallcloud joked and Fallstripe laughed, bumping the tom with her shoulder.

"Be nice," she scolded and she and Cloudfern shared a look as Tallcloud rolled his eyes dramatically. "Well, Flintjay," she mewed, feeling a tingle of pleasure as his joy spread to her, "You're a warrior of ThunderClan!"

"Thank you," Flintjay mewed, finally finding his words. "Let's celebrate with a meal, Cloudfern, Tallcloud, do you mind getting us some food?" he asked, turning to the two littermates.

Cloudfern nodded and gave one last touch to Flintjay's nose, purring happily as she trotted toward the fresh-kill pile. Tallcloud followed his sister muttering, "He's been a warrior for less then half a morning and he's already bossing us around…"

"It's been a long journey to get to this point," Flintjay commented, watching the two cats argue over which pieces of prey to take.

Fallstripe let out a long breath, "That's for sure," she mewed, thinking of all that had happened after he joined the Clan. "It was hard, but… I'm truly glad things turned out the way they did," she mewed, looking up at his unreadable dark gaze, contemplating things she couldn't guess at.

"I am too. I was scared to leave the mountains, but, I'm glad I did. I feel like this is where I belong. And you know—" he paused to look at her "—the journey doesn't end here. We've got a whole life ahead of us still, and whether it's good or bad or happy or sad times that await it, we'll endure and keep on journeying until we find all that there is to find."

Fallstripe listened to him quietly, eyes fixed on Tallcloud and she felt a stirring feeling in her chest. "That sounds like a lot of fun. But I get the feeling we won't be walking that journey alone."

Flintjay started toward Cloudfern and Tallcloud who were waiting with their food in a sunny part of the camp, then paused and looked back at her again, eyes lighting up, "I wouldn't want it any other way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmm! It's such a relief to have this done, and I'm happy to have a HAPPY(ish) ending, for once! And so ends the Legacy series. That's it, this is the end. No more stories about the Legacy universe. Funny to think that I started writing this before the new Warriors Series came out. I only read the first book but I guess SkyClan comes to the lake? So this story is totally not in line with that at all...
> 
> Well, I hope you guys liked this final addition to the Legacy series, whether you're old readers or new ones, I hope it was enjoyable, or at least distracting. I really loved writing this series and I hope you liked reading it. Till next time! Have a great day!


End file.
